Libertatum
by Kogo-Qian
Summary: [DISCONTINUED] It does not matter if she should not exist. She would not settle for these chains, this forced obedience. OC
1. Prelude - An Introduction

**Prelude - An Introduction**

* * *

Her name is Jun Hiromi, and she is a kunoichi in both blood and name.

She has fought, she has bled. She has cried, she has killed.

She was born a bastard, the result of an attempted bloodline theft. Her coming into the world was met with bloodshed and death. Pried from her mother's cold, lifeless embrace, she was immediately thrust into the harsh darkness that buried deep in the roots of Konoha. There, she struggled, screamed, and fought for her survival. Killed for her freedom. But despite her efforts, the constant, throbbing seal on her tongue reminds her that she is destined to be caged forever.

She dreams of liberty, of escaping the dark, wretched halls she is forced to call her home. But she knows there is nowhere to go from the darkness, nowhere to flee from the void.

Even her name seems to mock her very existence. _Jun._ They crow at her with smug satisfaction. _The obedient._

Her name is Jun Hiromi, and she was bred to rise to the top. They took away her freedom and locked away her emotions. They tested her strength and ensured her allegiance to them. She was to be the perfect tool, loyal to the end.

They expected her to make them great.

But they did not expect her knowledge of their futures, nor did they expect her tremendous will to survive.

.

She would not settle for this.

.

 _Give her freedom, or give her death._

* * *

 **It's an idea I came up with late at night, but I kind of do want to see how it turns out. Naruto character building is hard man.**

 **If you like it, I have another chapter written. If not, I'll be writing it for my own amusement anyway.**


	2. Origin Arc - The Root of the Problem

It was a dark night like any other. The thick trees native to Konoha seemed to loom taller than ever, blocking out what little light the moon had to offer.

Far away from the safety of Konoha's walls, Danzo Shimura stood rigid in the tree line. The dancing shadows from the overhead branches twisted into a semblance of a mask and obscured his face from view. By his side, three figures cloaked in black crouched attentively, weapons drawn as they waited for a silent command.

A howling wind blew past, brushing past their ears as it carried with it the sounds of clashing metal. If he were a man of lesser patience, Danzo would not have hesitated to leap into the fray. Instead, he dipped his head slightly, and the figures next to him disappeared in a whirl of leaves. Drawing himself up taller, Danzo linked his fingers together, allowing his sleeves to cascade over his hands as he steeled his gaze.

Tumbling out of the shrubbery in a flurry of limbs, a bloodstained woman fell to her knees in front of the man, shoved forward by one of the figures cloaked in black. Her breathing was ragged as she crumpled to her side, all the while clutching a small bundle tighter to her chest.

The tips of Danzo's mouth turned up in an emotionless smile, neither a grimace nor a smirk. A mere formality. He stepped forward towards the fallen woman, crushing blades of grass underfoot.

"Hiromi Uchiha," Danzo mused aloud, now circling the woman with sharp, hawk like eyes, "It has been quite a while. It seems that even being labeled KIA has not kept you down."

Hiromi coughed violently, her entire body shaking as she strained to look up at the older man. Her spinning red eyes shot venom at the man, and if she were capable of speaking without causing herself further pain, she would have cursed him with every fiber of her being.

"Get away." she hissed venomously, unconsciously gripping the bundle closer to her chest.

"And leave you at the mercy of these Iwa nin?" Danzo raised an eyebrow, "My dear, surely you do not think that poorly of a fellow Konoha nin." As if sensing the tense air, a garbled cry rose from the bundle of cloth, and a small, pudgy, infantile hand grasped at Hiromi's shirt for reassurance.

Danzo stopped his pacing. "So it seems that my sources were correct," He stared down at the baby girl in Hiromi's arms, "Iwakagure's bloodline theft attempt succeeded. You've bore a bastard child."

"She won't be Iwakagure's if I have anything to say about it." Hiromi growled defensively.

"Of course not," Danzo agreed easily, his eyes flashing with hidden mirth, "But the problem remains that the Uchiha do not take kindly to impurities in their bloodline. You would subject your child to such a fate?"

"At least here she'll _have_ a fate."

"A tragic one at that. You yourself have witnessed firsthand the ruthlessness of the clan."

Hiromi wisely did not reply.

"You know very well how they are. She will be ostracized and scorned within days of her arrival," Danzo carried on, well aware of the fading sounds of battle in the distance, "But you have no need to fear, there is a simple solution."

The very forest seemed to hold its breath, as a haunting undertone crept into Danzo's voice.

"She will be safe in the roots of the tree." He suggested softly.

"No." Hiromi interjected sharply before Danzo could continue. The seal on her tongue throbbed in response, bringing back vivid memories of spilled blood and dimly lit rooms.

"My dear," Danzo chuckled humorlessly, "It seems you are under the impression you have a choice in this matter."

Even exhausted and injured, Hiromi was still a ninja of high caliber. She dodged the first blow with ease, quickly replacing herself and the baby with a large stump from nearby.

But fatigue had long since taken it's toll on the woman, and in her haste, Hiromi miscalculated her switch. She was transported atop a thin tree limb that immediately snapped underneath her weight, forcing her and the baby to go into free fall.

Hiromi recovered quickly, clutching her daughter closer to her chest as she gathered chakra to her feet. Bits of bark sprayed everywhere as the kunoichi braced herself against the tree, attempting to slow her fall. Carefully adjusting her hold on the infant, Hiromi quickly scanned the horizon for any pursuers before dashing away. Konoha had various outposts near the bordering countries between the country of fire and the country of earth. If she just made it within sensing range of one, Danzo would have no choice but to retreat.

Seemingly unconcerned, Danzo followed after the source of Hiromi's chakra, flaring out his chakra to alert his subordinates to help pursue the kunoichi.

Hiromi did not make it far.

Malnourished and chakra exhausted, it did not take long for Danzo and his operatives to catch up to her. But Hiromi would not go down easy. Gathering what little of her chakra she had left, Hiromi turned and spewed scorching flames out of her mouth, narrowly missing the four other nin as they scrambled to get out of the path of the unrelenting fireball. It provided an adequate enough distraction for her to turn and continue fleeing, but Danzo would not allow it.

With an impressively precise body flicker, the seemingly defenseless man frail with age flashed forward into the air above Hiromi, delivering a devastating axe kick that sent the kunoichi plummeting straight towards the ground. She hit the ground unceremoniously with a shattering crunch. The baby in her arms began to wail, small pudgy hands beating against her mother's chest as if urging the woman to get up.

Arms shaking, Hiromi tried to stop her head from spinning as she attempted to pick herself back up. Without any hesitation, a figure in black unsheathed their tanto with a fluid motion and thrust it into Hiromi's back.

She did not scream as the blood gushed out of the wound in flowing rivers. She did not even have the chance.

The tanto was quickly pulled out, and the operative delivered the next slash to Hiromi's neck.

Her head rolled to the ground, sharingan red eyes glassy and lifeless.

"Tsu, retrieve her eyes," Danzo ordered tonelessly, "We will implant them once we are in Konoha. Dispose of her body with standard doujutsu user precautions."

He took slow deliberate steps towards the corpse. Crouching down and tugging the bundle out of Hiromi's lifeless embrace, Danzo brought the child up to his chest to inspect her closely.

Obsidian black eyes stared back at him, and something indescribable flashed through her eyes.

And then, that's when the child began to _scream_.


	3. Origin Arc - The Orphanage

She remembers.

She remembers what she perhaps, should not.

She remembers waking up in a dark room, with only a flickering candle for light.

She remembers feeling so distinctly wrong, limbs heavy, bleary eyes, and an itching sensation that plagued her to no end.

She remembers being in a state of constant confusion and fear, crying and screaming endlessly even as her 'mother' tried to calm her.

She remembers another life, another family, another home. She can not be an infant again. It's absolutely impossible.

She remembers the ninja, who seem to appear out of nowhere and scream at her and her so called mother in rapid japanese. They strap her mother down to a table, and beat her with whips. She remembers being oddly mute and cringing every time her mother's pained screams ring through the room. She remembers when the ninja take her and prod at her eyes and draw her blood. She remembers feeling fear in waves so thick she could drown in it.

She remembers her mother's daring escape, how even though she was wounded and tired, she took down two of the ninja in swift blows before she slipped out into the night.

She remembers the feeling of elation as the wind whizzes past her face as she is wrapped safely in bundles of cloth.

She remembers her fear, her wailing, as she watches her second mother be decapitated before her very eyes.

She remembers a strange man picking her up, his war torn face too reminiscent of the ninjas that guarded the cell she had just recently escaped.

She remembers, even when she does not want to.

But what she can't seem to remember, is her name.

* * *

Danzo returns to Konoha with triumph in his step and victory gleaming in his eyes. The infant in his arms is out cold, the only way to cease her incessant bawling.

He strides down the road, watching the packed buildings fade into trees and shrub alike. Three shadows trail along silently behind him as he approaches a crumbling, rundown building, its light beige walls in contrast to the fluorescent red sign that read 'Konoha Orphanage'. The lights inside were all closed, but Danzo did not hesitate to push open the door. Inviting himself in, he dismissed his operatives with a flick of his wrist.

Danzo flared his chakra lightly, sending out a signal used only by root operatives. He did not miss the thump of someone jerking out of bed upstairs as he inspected the dark lobby with a guarded look.

It was already past midnight, yet a brunette clad in a flowing black gown appeared in the room in a flutter of leaves, looking very much awake and confused as she gave Danzo a once over.

"Danzo-sama," She greets quietly with a bowed head, "What brings you here tonight?"

"Nono," Danzo dips his head in acknowledgement, "I'm in need of a small favor."

Her eyes flicker to the bundle Danzo is holding and she nods slowly, aware that Danzo's favors were not requests but demands.

"Of course. Is it pertaining to the matter of the child?"

"Keep an eye on her," Danzo says simply, "She will be a necessary asset in the near future."

If Nono felt anything at this demand, she did not allow it to show on her face. Taking the bundle from Danzo, her features softened into a fond smile as she looked at the sleeping babe.

"Oh and Nono, one last thing," Danzo speaks up, his hand on the doorknob, "She will be code named Jun Hiromi. Do not let her forget."

* * *

 **I actually struggled with naming the character for a while, until finally deciding on this. Fun fact though; in Kanji, Jun's name is written** 順寛美 **. 'Jun' means obedience, while her last name honors her deceased mother. She is not given the 'Uchiha' surname, because Danzo is a sly bastard and doesn't want anyone to steal his tool.**


	4. Origin Arc - The Beginnings

She wakes up screaming, drenched in cold sweat as fear pumps through her veins like adrenaline.

 _Blood stained walls and decapitated, gore strewn heads haunt her sleep. No matter how tightly she closes her eyes they ar e._

She hears pounding footsteps approach her, but she can not seem to bring herself to care.

 _Her second mother is dead, she must be in confinement again._

 _HermotherwasanUchihaohdeargodsshe'sgoingtobexperimentedonthere'snowayoutofthishellnow_

Someone scoops her up into her arms, and distinctly she recognizes the faint scent of tulips. But she is too far gone in her madness, and she screams and flails because if she has to go down, she at least is going down doing what little harm she can to their eardrums.

A bottle is shoved into her mouth, and she squawks in protest. But her hunger betrays her, and the liquid washes down her throat with a comforting warmth. She struggles, but eventually, her growling stomach wins, and she gulps down the milk eagerly. A soft voice cooes at her, and as she opens her tear stained eyes, she is greeted with soft freckles dotting a creamy face.

For a moment she blanks out, confused.

 _Did she die again? Shouldn't she be in captivity? Where is this place?_

As she struggles to find an explanation for what's going on, the woman that is holding her heads towards the window. The blinds are flung open to let the sunlight spill into the small room. As the rising sun's soft golden rays hit her face, she idly muses that this may be the first time since she was reborn that she has seen sunlight. The warmth of it lulls her back into an easy calm. She breathes in slowly as she tries to steady her pounding heart.

 _She is safe, yet she knows something is amiss. She can feel it in the air._

The woman begins to talk nonsensical words to her in Japanese, something she has no former knowledge in.

 _She was Chinese, a long long time ago. The words practically sound like gibberish to her ears._

Bits and pieces of it stand out to her, but the rest fade away into white noise, turning into the sound of waves hitting the shore. It washes over her, and she finds herself back on the verge of sleep.

"Nono!" A high pitched voice screams. She feels her whole world shake for a moment as she spots a flash of silver from the corner of her eye.

"Kabuto," the woman holding her reprimands lightly, and she practically feels her heart stop, "Go chui suru." Against her will, Nono adjusts her in her arms, allowing her to peek down at the silver haired boy that grasped desperately at the edge of the Nono's robe. He looks up at her shyly, and she feels her blood run cold.

 _The boy is Kabuto Yakushi. Root agent, Orochimaru's right hand man, and the harbinger of the 4th shinobi world war._

Her feelings of safety disappear as quickly as they had come.

* * *

But despite her constant fear, the small sun filled room becomes her new home, and she lives her first few months in the orphanage listening and learning. Between sleeping and eating, she learns that her new name is 'Jun'. _Obedience_.

 _And oh how she laughs._

Nono and the other nurses visit her often, and Jun charms them with cheeky smiles and infantile giggles.

 _But she knows Nono watches her closely for Danzo. No matter how much Jun wants to love her freckles and soft brown tresses, she plays dumb and steels her heart._

 _In her eyes, Nono is already dead. Brainwashed and betrayed by Danzo._

She keeps her distance from the other children when she is given the chance to play. Instead of crawling around with boundless curiosity, she finds a spot in the sun and curls up like a cat.

 _These are the orphans that Konoha will push into the Academy for frontline fodder. There is no need to get attached. When the 3rd shinobi world war begins, they are as good as dead._

She _is as good as dead._

But despite her fear and avoidance, Kabuto attaches himself to her. And although he does not grin toothily or slobber on her clothes like the other orphans do, his presence calms her all the same.

 _Jun is aware of his bloodstained future, his hideous misdoings. But Nono is not always around, and she is weak for what little physical affection he has to offer._

He is her stars. Scattered bright memories in an otherwise dull world, and no matter what she loves him all the same.

It is pathetic, her dependence. But Jun can not seem to connect the precious child she adores to the sadistic villain she remembers.

 _In a way he reminds Jun of herself. Quiet and reserved, Kabuto's company is not so bad. They shield each other from the horrors of young, teething, children._

Before long, Jun is crawling and waddling around the hallways. She babbles out her words a few weeks later, surprising the caretakers as she gleefully claps her pudgy hands.

But all things come to an end eventually.

She is one when the third shinobi world war begins, and her world plunges back into darkness.

* * *

 **Alright, one more 'prelude' style chapter after this. It'll skip us forward a good four years, and then after that, the real story will begin.**


	5. Origin Arc - The War

Jun hates the war because she is selfish.

She is selfish because she wants to keep her peaceful world at the orphanage to herself.

And the war takes, but does not give. It brings about change, something Jun detests.

The war takes Nono from her first. She disappears at odd periods to work lengthy shifts at the hospital. When she does return, she is exhausted and tired to the core. Her bright grins turn into forced tired smiles, and she is nothing like the Nono Jun recalls.

Before long, Kabuto trails after her. And though he is only three, he excels in the medical arts. He does not forget her, but he is not by her side either.

Jun stays behind with a bitter smile. She watches day by day as the older children leave for the Academy, and new faces she has never seen before arrive in tears.

Jun knows it is selfish to want them to stay. She is the one pushing them away after all. She is one, she can not do anything.

 _Not without Danzo noticing, anyway_.

* * *

Jun is 2 when Danzo first visits.

It is a quiet day, a rare one of peace in which Nono and Kabuto have the time of day to spare for her childish whims.

He does not come in the night, nor at the brink of a maelstrom like Jun sometimes imagines.

He arrives at noon, when the sun is still high in the sky, bearing small gifts in the form of food. Jun tries to make herself disappear behind Kabuto as best as she can, but the polite nature of the boy wins out, and he forces her to bow beside him.

She smiles prettily, but she knows all Danzo sees is a scraggly girl with short spiky hair that can be useful in the future.

Nono introduces them briefly, and even Jun, untrained as she is, can tell that the woman is on edge. Danzo makes small talk and asks her and Kabuto questions about their view on ninja. Kabuto responds quietly about his wishes of just becoming a doctor, while Jun just babbles out short choppy phrases that neither answer nor deflects the question.

Before he leaves, Danzo shows both of them a leaf chakra control exercise in guise of a game.

Danzo talks smoothly, explaining the principle behind it with simple words. Kabuto picks it up with ease, showing off his advanced control despite his age. And in her eagerness to understand chakra, she makes a fatal mistake.

Jun listens attentively, _and she succeeds_.

She realizes her error far too late. Even though her leaf wobbles and threatens to fall, something akin to triumph flashes in Danzo's eyes.

 _Jun is screwed. Indefinitely screwed. There's no way out of root now._

* * *

Jun is 3 when Kabuto leaves for root.

It happens one day out of the blue, when they are playing hide and seek with a few other orphans. Kabuto pulls her into a small hole in the wall, tucked away behind several blooming plants. They giggle to each other as the seekers run past them unaware, and though some part of Jun's mind tells her how stupid the whole game is, she feels happy all the same.

They stay hidden for what seems like forever, and Kabuto entertains her with stories about his experiences at the hospital with Nono. The boy is unusually animated as he goes to complain about Orochimaru, tracing his eyes with his fingers and making hissing sounds. Jun is unbelievably happy that the boy is beginning to warm up to her, even as she feels a sinking feeling in her gut.

 _Orochimaru is the one who will take her stars away. She hates him already._

But before the story ends, something oppressive falls upon them, and Jun feels like she is suddenly bearing the weight of mountains.

 _She is suddenly back in that room with her mother. But this time, it's_ her _strapped to the table,_ her _screams filling the room and she is suddenly filled with an absolute certainty that she is going to d i e_ -

Kabuto brings her back to reality with a sharp jab to the stomach, and Jun remembers to breathe again. He presses a finger to his mouth and something undescribable is in his eyes. Jun does not know who this person is, the one who is wearing the face of her brother in all but blood.

 _She wants to scream again, to shake him until the young boy she adores is back. But she stills because the hideous aura is still there, still waiting_.

Kabuto is already pulling off the floor vent covering, and sets it aside lightly. He disappears into the vent with practiced ease, and Jun drops down on her knees to follow him without a second thought. She is slow and the preposterous amount of dust makes her want to sneeze, but she is silent as a ghost.

They come to a stop at a crossroads of different pipes, the place where the oppressive aura is the strongest. Kabuto lightly sets himself down on his elbows, and they wait.

Nono and Danzo's voices bounce out to them in hushed, yet forceful tones.

"... you need the funding."

"Yes, and I will do anything else!" Nono bites out, "You will not take any of them."

"You have no choice-" Danzo attempts to reason, but Nono hears none of it.

"I will take missions again, I will go back to root if that is what it takes. But you can _not_ touch any of them."

The weight on Jun's chest increases and she wants to choke.

"It is not up for discussion," Danzo says with finality in his voice. "An orphan for funding. I will not accept anything less."

Danzo leaves the room, and besides her in the crowded vent, Kabuto's shoulders begin to shake.

.

The next day, Kabuto is gone. And Nono's puffy red eyes tell Jun all she needs to know.

* * *

Jun is 4 when she is taken away from the orphanage, away from Nono, who is all she has left.

Not by a kind patron, no matter how hard she still hopes.

But by Danzo. By root.

 _At least she will see her stars once again._

* * *

"We have brought the girl Danzo-sama."

"Excellent," Danzo stands to greet his agents. "You are dismissed." With a slight incline of their heads they are gone, and Jun stands in front of the war torn man alone. She wills herself not to tremble, to be strong.

"Welcome to root, my child." Danzo greets her, and she is not fooled one second by his kind demeanor, "Do you remember me?" She blinks slowly, as if she is trying to recall a hazy memory. Jun nods eventually, a shaky smile plastered on her face.

"Yeah," Jun's voice sounds incredibly high pitched as it bounces around the room, "You're the guy that taught me how to do the sticky leaf thing."

"Yes, that was a ninja exercise, something that controls chakra," Danzo explains lightly, grabbing Jun's hand in his. "Would you like to become a ninja?"

"Yeah, ninja are cool. I wanna become strong enough to protect the people I love, like Kabuto and Nono-san!" Jun babbles, and her voice takes on a childish lilt she hasn't used since she last saw the man.

 _She wants to bite him, sink her teeth into her flesh and run like the wind because this man is the ruiner of her world._

But Jun waits. If she has learned anything, she has learned to be patient.

Just as Danzo will use her as a tool, she will use him to become strong.

"Well I can help you become a great ninja, how about it?"

"Sure," Jun agrees as easily as she can, following Danzo out of the room into a darker hall, "Will I go to the academy?"

"Eventually," Danzo promises, "But for now, other root members will train you." They arrive at a door similar to many others they have passed, and Danzo leads her inside. "This will be your new room." Jun doesn't comment that the windowless room looks more like a cell than an actual room, but she releases Danzo's hand and steps into it nonetheless.

"Thank you Danzo-san," She bows politely, discreetly rubbing her sweaty palms on the back of her pants.

"Danzo-sama," He corrects, and Jun snickers mentally at how pompous that sounds despite her nervousness. "Try to rest my child, your training will begin at dawn."

She nods solemnly, and he turns to leave. Closing the door behind her, Jun readies herself for a restless night.

* * *

 **So from now on, as long as I can get a chapter out, I'll be updating weekly on Sundays.**

 **Also real quick thing I want to clarify! I got a review of someone saying that Jun is two years older than Itachi. That's false. They're actually** **both born in the same year, 5 years before Naruto is born. That's actually an important fact that comes up in the future, so I had to stress it**


	6. Bridge - The Roots

The days do not pass quickly or smoothly. Jun's training does not suddenly make her invincible.

It is hard and grueling work. She wakes up at the crack of dawn to the incessant prodding of her trainer- a willowy figure who dons a blank mask and a sweeping black cloak. He can not be more than 6 years her senior, and it makes Jun's heart ache that a mere child has to bear the weight of root. Through the brutal training, bruises litter her arms and legs, and she now wears red gashes instead of beaded accessories. Her vanity would have suffered, but she has not seen her face since she has arrived. Jun is forced to constantly don a blank mask, and she is sure the lack of exposure to sunlight has turned her pale skin into a deathly white.

From the moment she set foot into the root compound, Danzo had began to carve into her continence. Hypnosis, mind games, beatings, Jun is not exempt from any of them.

There are days she wants to give up, to give in to the whispers in her head. There are days where she wants to accept her limits, and give in to her aching muscles.

But even if she wants, she can not.

Her trainer drags her up, and beats her back down to the ground. They rinse, repeat, and Jun aches and hurts.

The pain leaves her in a daze, and she withdraws on herself. Depression laced thoughts flit around in her mind, and she often ponders how _easy_ it would be to end it all right then and there.

She could bite her tongue; gut herself with a kunai. It would be so easy to go, who would miss her?

 _Nono dies, Kabuto defects. There is no Jun Hiromi ever mentioned in canon, no legend for her to live up to._

 _She misses her old life. Her old world. Her old family. Even as she tries not to think about it, they haunt her daily life and her every thought._

 _She is so very tired. What does she even fight for?_

But some part of her clings on, and Jun forcibly represses her thoughts and continues. Her days bleed into each other, and she can feel her will to fight on burning out.

Her routine is simple and monotonous. Wake, eat rations, and train until she feels the very marrow of her bones quiver.

Danzo always comes around noon, whispering comforting words and bearing stale bread and rations. She consumes them because she has no choice. And while she plays the part of the obedient root servant, Danzo does not have her heart, her loyalty.

He should have known better. His manipulations took the wrong approach. He may have taken everything from Jun, but now, there is nothing he can hold against her.

Jun might be broken. But she is not broken in the way Danzo wants her to be.

 _She refuses to bend to his will._

* * *

Two weeks after Jun stops responding to emotional digs, Danzo pairs her up with another girl.

The orphan codenamed Kaia is a spitfire, befitting of her name.

Jun takes one look at the scruffy orphan girl with bright eyes and auburn colored hair, and she knows that she does not belong in root. Not someone with so much hope and potential, not someone who has a better chance out in the light.

"Hey, I'm Kaia."

"Jun."

"Well, nice to meet'cha."

"It's nice to meet you too."

It really isn't. Only one of them will come out of this partnership alive. Only one of them will survive the horror that is root.

And Jun is selfish. She will play right into Danzo's plans in doing so, but she refuses to die again.

"Jun" Danzo calls, snapping her out of her reverie, "You have permission to remove your mask."

Jun does not need to be told twice. Her face is carefully kept blank, even though she wants to rejoice. The constantly dim hallways were hard enough to see in as it is; the masks only served to obscure her vision further. At this point, she could probably navigate most of the hallways blind.

Kaia looks surprised upon seeing her face, and Jun is not sure if it's her age or something else entirely.

(She has not seen a mirror in months, heaven knows what could be going on with all of that)

Danzo starts them off easy, running through katas and conditioning them. Here Jun leads with confidence. Kaia's strikes may have more power behind them, but she is unsteady, and Jun knows the forms like the back of her hand. The daily lessons are absorbed easily, and Jun analyzes and applies her newfound knowledge with the quick wit of a woman grown.

That is not to say that Kaia is not impressive. She is in root, after all. While Jun leads effortlessly in tactics and katas, Kaia's strength and taijutsu is astounding despite her age.

(Jun would be lying if she said she wasn't envious. She wants to be able to crack slabs with her bare fists.)

Jun knows Danzo takes her rapid improvements to be her prodigious nature, but she is not a prodigy. Not like Kakashi, not like Itachi. Jun is not even a hard worker, but she is efficient. Frighteningly so.

In another world, Jun might have been called lazy. But in this world, she is a kunoichi. And as Jun likes to think, laziness is the precursor to efficiency.

 _But she does not forget that in this world, people never stop improving._

Jun is a herbivore in a world where carnivores thrive, and she is _terrified_.

* * *

"Thank you for the fight," Jun bows deeply at the waist, a bokken held tight in her hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Kaia grins ferally as she raises her bokken in a mock salute. Jun feels the corners of her mouth turn upwards into a smirk.

Despite Jun's best efforts and poker faces, Kaia _knows_ the little girl who seems too mature for her age. Knows no matter how serious she acts, Jun will snort at bad jokes, bandage her when she is hurt, and help her remember little facts that Danzo would otherwise beat her for.

Danzo frowns disapprovingly from the sidelines, and she can practically feel Jun's mask snap back in place. When she sneaks a peak through her bangs, Kaia stares at a blank face, a stranger. Kaia resists the urge to glower at Danzo and straightens her back. Jun mirrors her movements as they both slip into a fighting stance.

"You may begin."

Kaia launches herself at the smaller figure with her bokken, knowing that if she gives Jun too much time to think, the girl will entangle her in an intricate plan with no escape. Jun is clever, but she is nowhere as fast nor as strong as Kaia. That is why the extra weeks of experience Jun has d not give her an advantage against Kaia.

The grimace on Jun's face as she deflects another kick shows she knows this quite well.

Jun knocks away Kaia's blocking hand with a flick of her bokken and thrusts forward with all her body weight. The older girl lets the weight carry through, pulling Jun in and striking out with her elbow. The only reason Jun does not upheave her breakfast on the spot is because Kaia immediately follows through by slamming Jun's sword back into her chest. Jun stumbles backwards and ducks to avoid a jab, lashing out with a kick of her own. Kaia stumbles in her footing, and that is all Jun needs to drive her wooden sword into Kaia's solar plex.

Their swords clash, and Jun tries to force all her strength into breaking through Kaia's guard. But Kaia pushes back with equal ferocity, and with a final burst of strength Jun finds her sword flung away from her. The girl quickly adapts, sliding back to put her weight on her back leg to avoid the flurry of strikes Kaia delivers.

Kaia is stronger and faster. But Jun will be damned if she does not fight smarter. She has not suffered weeks of continuous beatings from Kaia to not improve.

Jun knows Kaia often drops her guard when throwing a high kick or doing a wide swing with her bokken. She knows her fighting habits like someone would know the weather. And so she downplays her actions, taking hits she can avoid and backing herself into a corner.

When Jun stumbles back once more, she sees a glint of victory in Kaia's eye, and her bokken raises to deal the final blow. Jun tenses as if she is bracing for the hit. Yet lashing out with a crescent kick, she whips her leg into the bokken and let's the force of her leg carry into Kaia's face. Momentarily stunned, Kaia fights to get her guard back up, but Jun is relentless. She sweeps Kaia's legs out from under her and tackles the older girl into a hold. Kaia grunts in protest, feeling the air being slowly pushed out of her lungs and thrashes in an attempt to shake Jun off. Jun tightens her hold, increasing the pressure on Kaia's throat.

"Ahh-" Kaia coughs fitfully, "I yield, I yield!" Jun rolls off of Kaia, relinquishing the use of her lungs back to Kaia. And as Jun carefully pulls Kaia to her feet, a satisfied grin overtakes Danzo's face.

* * *

Ninjutsu practice is the bane of Jun's existence. While Kaia does not have the reserves to become a ninjutsu specialist, she is adequate enough to churn out the techniques Danzo teaches them. And no matter how much Jun speculates on her heritage impacting her natural ability, her four year old chakra coils are simply not developed enough.

Somewhere along her thought process, she remembers her physical age is four.

 _Four years old, and she's learning the most efficient way to rip out a throat, the fastest way to kill. How fucked up is that?_

"Hey Jun," Kaia quickly flashes through a pair of hand seals, "Check this out." A small shoot of flames bursts out from her mouth in a dramatic flair, only to be ruined as Kaia breaks into a coughing fit from the smoke.

"That's cool," Jun flashes through the same hand seals and attempts to mimic Kaia. Instead, all that comes out of her mouth is a small puff of smoke. Kaia cackles with laughter as Jun scrunches up her nose.

"You're like a little dragon," Kaia cooes, snorting with laughter as Jun tries to push the girl off of her bed to no avail.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Jun pulls her fingers into a ram sign and gathers chakra into the seal, "But can you do _this_?" Kaia scowls and swats at her face in irritation.

"Stoppp," Kaia whines in protest as she struggles against the weak genjutsu, "Your chakra is super weird."

"Yeah well," Jun fumbles for a witty retort, "Your face is weird."

"Really though, it's all cold and tingly," Kaia shivers and rubs at her arms despite the sultriness of the room, "Like it isn't supposed to be there."

Jun rolls her obsidian black eyes in exasperation, "Well of course it's not supposed to be there. It's _my_ chakra invading your system. Not that big of a deal."

 _That was a lie and they both knew it_.

(Jun knows she has been touched by death. Her chakra, the source of her life, is void of any warmth.)

(She hates it. It's like the whole being reborn thing wasn't a big enough "fuck you". Her chakra just had to be a constant reminder that some larger than life entity was probably laughing at her current situation.)

But Kaia glosses over it and kicks her legs out. She takes up most of the cramped cot with her knobby appendages and does not look the slightest bit ashamed at the gross amount of space she is taking up.

"Probably something the old coot wants to experiment with," shrugs Kaia with a halfhearted eye roll. Jun slaps Kaia's leg in warning and glances warily at the door.

"Kaia," Jun hisses.

"Relax Jun. It's not like Danzo-sama creeps around all day keeping watch on us," Kaia offers lightly, "Honestly, I don't understand why you're so terrified of him. What's he going to do to us, make us do more push ups?"

Jun frowns, because really; from any outsider's perspective neither her nor Kaia has any reason to distrust Danzo. In fact, the man has been nothing but a kind grandfather figure to the both of them.

Jun can't blurt out all the horrible things she knows that he has done. For crying out loud, Danzo has literally ordered the experimentation of babies. Not to mention the sharingan eyes he had implanted into him. Jun may not be the most morally upright person, but even she drew the line somewhere.

But her knowledge was from an _anime_. She didn't even want to begin on the existential crisis that brought on.

 _Is this even real or is she just dreaming? Are the people she's talking to real. Is_ she _even real?_

She doesn't like thinking about it, so Jun does what she does best. She represses and ignores it.

(Definitely not healthy. But does she care? Not really.)

"Well," Jun begins, her voice sounding oddly small, "He's the one that took away my brother away."

"Oh," Kaia looks away uneasily, "... Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jun tries to shrug it off, her eyes definitely not watering as she remembers a small boy with silver hair, "It's just... He took me away from my home too. I'm terrified he's going to do something like that again." Kaia mumbles something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like a vehement curse.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore!" Kaia proclaims loudly, slapping Jun so hard on the back she actually lurches forward, "I'll be here from now on. There's going to be nothing that can stop us! The great kunoichi duo!"

Jun laughs at that bold declaration. And suddenly, everything is okay again.

* * *

She lied. Everything is definitely not okay.

"Agent 331, codenamed Kaia," A tall root agent with a bear mask approaches them one day, "Danzo-sama requires your presence."

Kaia frowns, annoyance trickling into her features at having to stop halfway through a spar. Sheathing her sword, she turns to follow the man out the door. Jun attempts to follow, but is blocked by one hundred or so pounds of an intimidating person in a black cloak. She quietly backs down, but not before looking gazes with Kaia.

 _Don't worry about it,_ Kaia grins with her eyes and offers a small smile.

 _Too late_ , Jun frowns.

They vanish into the dark hallways, and Jun wills herself to return to her katas. If she puts enough force into her forms, if she strikes and flips fast enough, maybe the rushing adrenaline will push the worry out of her mind.

(It doesn't)

Then the screams start. The unmistakable scream of someone screaming themselves raw in fear of their lives.

(Jun would know. She has lived that.)

Jun pushes harder, but the screams fill her ears and claw at her from the inside.

 _It's your fault. She wouldn't have to suffer needlessly if you weren't here - if you didn't get attached._ _It's your fault Kaia will never live a normal life. Your fault that Danzo is tearing her apart._

She slams her head against the wall to will the voice to shut up, but only succeeds in making the ringing in her head louder.

Some part of her hopes that it might not be Kaia, that she'll be fine.

 _Yeah, she didn't believe it either._

* * *

Kaia does not reappear for months. Worry begins to eat at Jun from the inside out, and she feels as if all hope is lost.

The end of the war approaches, the few rumors that do spread around root murmur about the Kannabi Bridge mission's success. (Jun knows because she spies a mop of gravity defying silver hair floating around the new recruits. But she can't bring herself to care, because her every waking thought is consumed with finding Kaia. Strong, fiery, Kaia, who deserves so much better.)

She sees the tail end of the war in the form of battered root agents that return missing appendages and a significant chunk of their chakra. They don't scream or cry. They roll around fitfully on hospital beds until they die, another nameless orphan to bury.

Jun spars until she faints, casts genjutsu until she hurls, breathes fireballs until she is practically coughing out her lungs. She trains and trains and hopes that her improvement pleases Danzo. But with him, she is never sure.

It is only when she awakens her sharingan at the end of a spar with a 10 year old boy does Danzo react. She pretends to know nothing of it, and even though she hopes her awakened bloodline will appease the man enough to release Kaia, she feels even more trapped. Her eyes bleed red and she wants to cry every time she sees her reflection.

 _Gods she is so desperate. Someone save her, anyone._

The end of the year draws near, and Jun begins to give up. The auburn haired girl only haunts her dreams alongside a laughing Kabuto. Kaia's pile of messy clothes still laying on the floor is the only thing that prevents Jun from thinking she dreamed her up entirely.

And then on her way to report to Danzo, Jun spots her. It's only out of the corner of her eye, but she sees Kaia in all of her curly haired glory. Jun is ready to burst into tears until she sees her face.

 _Blank, like a porcelain mask._ There is no sign of life, no sign of any former liveliness. All that's left is a hollow shell, ready to obey Danzo's every order. Kaia's eyes slide right over Jun's form as if she were another stranger, and Jun feels her heart break.

It takes everything she has to tear her eyes away and continue striding down after her blank faced escort.

 _Sometimes Jun wishes Danzo would put her through the same emotional conditioning. It would be so much easier to not care._

But Jun knows the twisted man will probably play her as a pawn in some other way. She knows she is not being spared out of the mercy of his heart.

And so she closes her eyes and bids her sorrow and emotions to leave her.

She will wait.

One day, _one day_.

 _She will make him pay_.

* * *

It is a dark day in November when it happens. Not dark as in the cloudy weather, because Jun has not seen the sky in over a year. No, it is the atmosphere that is is dark and suffocating, and all Jun really wants to do is curl back under her covers and let sleep overtake her. But she can't, because there is a root agent standing at the door and a cold draft blowing in.

She feels her lack of sleep in the weight of bags underneath her eyes as she crawls out from under her covers. Jun stands at a wary attention as she stares at blank porcelain mask.

(She hates porcelain, really. It's not even pretty. Too fragile, too easy to shatter.)

"Danzo-sama requires you to be at training room four at 0700 hours sharp," A girl's voice bounces out at her, "You are required to bring your full mission gear." Jun bows her head quietly, and the operative disappears with a whirl of their cloak.

There was no need to head to the mess hall. They had the exact same thing every other root agent had in their private stash. Dry rations and stale bread. Jun sits quietly and chews on a tasteless ration bar, and she ponders reasons why she would need her mission gear, each one more morbid than the last.

 _Danzo can't be sending out a four (nearly five) year old out on a mission already can he? That's a waste of resources, surely he would not be as stupid to waste his 'tools' like that_.

But then Jun remembers the broken operatives, how everything that does not serve to fulfill the objective of the mission is cut away, and she suddenly feels that Danzo would not be above doing that.

But she still dons her cloak, puts on her mask, and straps her tanto to her back. It's comically large compared to her, and maybe if the situation wasn't so dire (maybe if Kaia was still here), Jun would have laughed.

In hindsight, she should have known. She had thought of it when she first met Kaia after all. _Jun should've known. Should have remembered that Danzo is cruel beyond words_.

Kaia stands as still as a statue, muscles tense as if she were carved from stone. The only light source shines on her, an ominous warning, but she pays it no attention. Jun stalks briskly into the room, and she is suddenly glad for the mask because no one but her will know that she is fighting hard not to cry.

 _Oh, she should have known, she should have known_.

Kaia's eyes flutter open, and Jun wants to laugh and cry all at the same time because she has not seen those eyes for forever.

But then the image is shattered, and Kaia lunges.

It is only months of training that allows Jun's reflexes to dodge the wide swing. But she is still flooded with emotions, and her arm does not make it out of the way in time.

Jun screams - a hoarse and raw scream at the blinding pain at the deep gash in her arm. And Kaia, Kaia, Kaia- she strikes again, and again, and again. At this point her body is going into auto pilot, while Jun loses herself as she clutches at the wound. Dodging, rolling, Jun is still wailing, and she knows somewhere in the shadows of the room, Danzo is watching her every move. Her sharingan blazes to life, and she is aware of every muscle movement, every single detail in the room.

She knows full well what this is. Root graduation. Something she has dreaded since her initiation.

But Kaia, brash, energetic Kaia.

Kaia; who does not deserve any of this.

Jun hears her laughter ringing in her ears, her smile shining at her, and feels maybe she should just let Kaia kill her. It would all be over. No more pain, _no more pain_.

But she can't do that.

 _Jun is a coward. And she is so, so, afraid of dying again._

She commits Kaia's face to memory, and her hands pull together into a ram seal. She flashes through them quickly even despite her gushing injury, and she knows she must finish this quickly before she faints.

Kaia, experienced with her genjutsu as she is, is not prepared for the intensity of it. She screams in fear, the first real emotion Jun has managed to elicit out of her. Jun's heart aches at having to use the hell viewing genjutsu on her, but before she can dwell on it she is already pulling her fingers into the tiger seal.

Some part of her wants Kaia to break free of her genjutsu, to move, to save herself.

 _But she stands still and screams, and Jun does what she must_.

She breathes out fire, and Kaia, sweet, sweet Kaia, disappears in the scorching flames.

Something inside of Jun breaks, and she feels a void threatening to consume her.

Jun feels her eyes spin and burn bright with chakra, and she cries tears of blood.

* * *

"Congratulations operative Jun," Danzo stares down at the expressionless girl as she sticks out her tongue. The seal burns bright and hot, before becoming black ink once more. "You are now an official root operative."

Jun bows her head, and the emptiness inside her threatens to eat her alive.

 _Wait for it_.

* * *

 **A/N Technically, I'm not late, it's still Sunday for me. Still, sorry about the lateness of this whole thing, I actually wrote upwards of 2k words of this today. Everything is largely unedited, and I'm skipping out on writing an essay for this.**

 **A few things I have address. People have been asking for ships. And yes, there will be some at some point. I'll put a poll up on my profile when all the potential characters are introduced, but I can tell you all now that it's between Itachi and another OC.**

 **(I'm leaning heavily towards the OC, but that's just me)**

 **Also, I really, really need a beta. Anyone up for that?**


	7. Academy Arc - The Academy

**Chapter 7 : The Academy**

The end of the war brings as much damage as it brings good.

It is good in the sense that it is the end of a war. It means no more meaningless deaths. Konoha will not lose anymore shinobi to the fighting between villages.

But it also means most root operatives, no matter their age or rank, are pushed out to do more missions. Everyone is hard pressed to do the final bits of dirty work that must be done for the war to truly end.

Jun tags along on one, an elimination mission in a small town south of Iwagakure. The mission is fulfilled successfully, and Jun vows never to go on one ever again if she can help it.

(For days afterward, she can not get rid of the smell of burnt corpses and kerosene. It is too eerily similar to Kaia's death. Poor, sweet, Kaia.)

She is five and she is already a baby killer. What a horrible, horrible mess. It's a new all time low, even for her.

Yet, through all of this, Jun trains. If Jun trained hard during Kaia's absence, she trains even harder after her death.

 _There is no time, no more time. Naruto is born within the next year, then the Kyuubi attack, and everything else that follows._

Her muscles scream, and her limbs tremble. Her eyes bleed, but if there is any pain, she does not feel it.

 _She is too numb to feel._

Jun is burning herself out, and fast. She can feel it in her bones, the exact same way she feels the way a brutal hit will bruise ugly and purple the next morning.

She is well aware she needs an intervention. Her trainer is aware she needs an intervention. Even Danzo is aware she needs an intervention.

.

It comes in a form she never expected.

* * *

Jun is not sure whether to shake with anticipation or fear. She stares at Danzo through the slit eye holes in the mask, unsure if he is calling her in for another mission.

"Jun," Danzo calls tonelessly, as if it's more of a common word than a name. "I have a long term mission for you." Steeling her heart, Jun bows her head and awaits the inevitable. She does not hope for mercy, she only hopes that her suffering is swift and painless.

"I am ready to serve."

(She's not.)

"You are being enlisted in the Academy," Danzo begins. The casual tone he speaks in forces Jun to practically do a double take. She did not expect this for at least another year or so. "The war is over, my child. But we cannot stop fighting for Konoha, even within the village at times of peace."

Jun's heartbeat begins to pick up. Is he offering her freedom? Escape from root's dark quarters?

"There is a new Hokage," Danzo continues, and Jun feels the slightest satisfaction at the bitterness in his voice, "You are to infiltrate his forces, and continue reporting back to me. After so many losses in our forces, root must rebuild in places of high status."

 _Him. Me._

Jun wants to laugh.

(No _us_. No _we_.)

"Understood," she says instead, her features smoothed out into a complacent mask.

"I expect you to graduate as soon as you can," Danzo turns his unbandaged eye on her, "There is no room for failure. You must make your way into ANBU."

She could speculate for hours on his plans, tossing and turning in bed for hours at his motives. He could be using her as a political tool, or another pawn among hundreds strategically placed to take out the king. Whatever the goal is, he is not doing it out of concern for her.

 _But this is a chance, a step closer to freedom_.

Jun knows she has no choice in the matter anyway as Danzo hands her a folder filled to the brim of documents. But she clutches them anyway, as if they are her lifeline.

"Jun Hiromi, age 5, birth date unknown," Danzo cites calmly, fingers clasped as Jun flips through the pages, "All the information you need for your mission is in the folder."

Jun bows once again, deep and low, before exiting with a swish of her cloak.

* * *

Jun leaves the base in the darkness, where the only company she has is the moon and her weapons. She pauses to breathe in the fresh air, and her whole body shakes with glee and exhilaration. She glances over the peaceful city, with the silvery moonlight and the soft yellow light spilling out from the windows and she feels _alive_ for the first time in nearly a year.

No one follows her out, but she expects Danzo to have agents tail her regardless. So she heads south, towards the edge of the village. Jun walks lightly, each step deliberate and purposeful, quiet and swift. She reaches the Konoha Orphanage in no time at all, and stands silently at the door.

It seems as if she is seeing the place for the first time again, the tan walls that are cracked with age nearly white in the dim light. She runs her fingers over the jagged edges and feels the thrum of chakra from protective seals woven into the walls itself. Her fingers find hold on the doorknob, and she pulls the door open. Moonlight spills into the empty lobby, and she is hit with a heavy sense of nostalgia.

Through the staff-only door, Jun is cautious, slinking down the halls in step with the shadows. She finds Nono's room by the labelled nametag. Impatience overtakes her, and she wants to simply barge in. But Jun knows ninja paranoia would kill her. So, Jun knocks.

It is standard code in root to get attention. Three raps, then one, then three again.

The chakra signature inside the room flickers briefly, a tired response if anything. The door opens, and Nono practically flinches back in surprise.

"... Jun?" Nono's voice is raspier than usual, the sound of pebbles sliding over one another. Before Jun can bite out a witty reply, she is scooped up into Nono's arms, a cascade of chestnut brown hair falling into her face.

"... Hi," Jun responds lamely, her arms trapped to her side in Nono's bear hug.

 _It's a mother's embrace. Warm, loving, and everything Jun misses_.

She closes her eyes and savors the moment.

* * *

Jun does not get to spend as much time with Nono as she hopes. Between Nono's duties and the disguised ninja that come to scout out orphans for the academy, she only gets to spend a few hours practically attached to Nono, filling up the silence with pointless blabber and giggles.

(But they do not talk about Kabuto, their precious boy who has still not come home.)

The chūnin instructor comes after lunch, when the children are drowsy and full. The kind but very plain looking woman brings Jun and eight other children of her age into a small room. Aside from herself, there is only one other girl in the room.

"Hello everyone," the woman grins, teeth bright and shiny. "My name is Akira. I'm here to help any of you to fill up the registration form for the Academy. Does anyone have any questions to begin with?"

Four hands shoot up into the air.

"Are you actually a ninja?" A scruffy blonde boy asks. He has the typical orphan look, gangly limbs with scratched knuckles and dirty nails.

"Yup, I'm a chūnin." Akira answers easily. Excited murmurs spread across the room. The term flies right over their heads, but the thought of being in the same room as a ninja excited them.

"Can you do a trick for us?" asks the little girl next to Jun. It takes all of her hard earned self control to not snap at the girl, to scream that these are not harmless tricks, but killing jutsus.

But Akira indulges them, flashes through the tiger, boar, ox, and dog seals, and a mirror image of herself pops into existence. Gasps of astonishment are heard all around, and someone in the back even squeals.

"How did you do that?"

"There's this thing called chakra," Akira explains gently, "You'll be learning how to use it along with your regular classes. It'll help all of you become great ninjas."

"That's so cool!" a kid near the front shouts.

"Yeah! with this cha-ker thing, I'm going to be the best ninja ever!"

Jun stops listening.

* * *

Eight years at the Academy.

Eight years of history, math, kanji, geography, literature, science, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu classes.

It boggles Jun's mind that there were prodigies in Naruto that managed to graduate in a year or two. Even with the head start she has, Jun knows she will struggle.

(And she thought that with her death, school and stress would finally be over.)

The children giggle and whisper excitably to each other when Akira finishes her explanation and introductions. They begin to file out of the room for a short snack break before another ninja comes to talk to them.

Jun stays behind.

She approaches Akira's desk with dragging feet. The instructor smiles kindly at her, setting aside her papers.

"Can I help you?" Akira asks, looking up at the pale girl standing in front of her.

"Yeah," Jun nods slowly, contemplating her next words. "How do you skip grade levels at the Academy? Are there tests you have to take?"

Akira blinks in surprise, "Well honey, there's an assessment your teachers can give you. But that shouldn't be a problem, I think you should take your time in going through the Academy. It'll be fun to make friends."

Jun wants to scowl. "How can I take it?" She settles for instead, tilting her head in the eerie way she knows Kaia used to hate. Jun calmly examines Akira's body language. From her tapping fingers to her racing pulse, the woman radiates nervous energy. "Are there any study materials I can use to prepare for that?"

Akira's smile begins to strain, and Jun watches how the woman's eyes dart around the room, as if she is uncomfortable being asked such serious questions by a five year old.

"I can give you a list of what's covered in each year, but I can't promise anything else," Akira finally says, the skin around her eyes crinkling as she attempts to smile reassuringly. Jun is handed a few pages of textbook titles, and she wants to cringe at the amount of studying she is going to have to do. She opens her mouth to say thank you, but the door slides open with a clunk.

"Akira-san, I will take over," A tall man in a sketchy trench coat says. "Why? Because you are needed back at the Academy."

"Oh, it's time already? Thank you Aburame-san," Akira stands with a polite nod. "I'll call the children back in." She scurries quickly out of the room with her papers pressed to her chest. Jun offers a slight bow to the older man, turning to walk to her desk as the others stride back into the room.

Even without channeling chakra to her ears, Jun can hear the boys whispering to each other about the new ninja. She knows without a shadow of a doubt he can hear them as well.

When everyone is settled in their seats, a buzzing sound begins to build up, and the babble in the room instantly dies down. Children look left and right to find the source of the noise, but Jun keeps her eyes trained on the Aburame.

Some of the kids have enough sense to turn back to the new ninja for answers. But he doesn't answer, letting the room stretch on in silence.

Jun bounces her leg lightly, her hands folded in her lap under her desk to dispel the minor area genjutsu she feels the Aburame cast. As the girl next to her shivers and rubs at her bare arms, Jun lowers her gaze and taps her fingers together. The Aburame finally stands, walking around the desk to directly stand in front of the orphans.

"W-what happened to Akira-san?" a blonde boy asks, voice quivering with nerves.

"She's gone," the Aburame answers in a clipped tone. The boy recoils slightly, but doesn't back down.

"But she said she would help us with Academy registration-"

A small wave of killing intent flares out from the ninja, and the room goes deathly quiet.

"Assisting any of you with the Academy registration is a fruitless endeavor," the Aburame replies. The buzzing grows louder, and the shadows in the room twist and loom. Someone in the back breaks out into choked sobs. "Why? Because none of you will ever become ninja."

The killing intent rises, and Jun begins to feel the twinge of irritation. She knows what this is. They are culling the orphans that do not have the mentality to survive.

"None of you will last a second at the Academy," the Aburame states, and the buzzing creates a dark undertone that echoes with his words. "It's better to just give up now." The killing intent in the room is almost suffocating, even for Jun, and that is the breaking point. She pushes her chair back, ready to stand and yell at the man because he's _terrorizing children_. That's practically stooping down to Danzo's level, orders or not. But the boy in front of her obviously takes her movement as something else.

Standing up with shaking legs, he takes a few tentative steps forward, before bolting out the door.

And he is not the only one. Three others follow him out, tripping over one another to flee from the oppressive presence.

Jun scowls deeply and fights hard not to let her eyes bleed red from rage.

The girl next to her is clutching the edge of the desk so hard that her knuckles turn white, tears rolling down her cheeks. Jun reaches out, setting the tips of her fingers over a tenketsu point. Danzo never taught her how to release others from genjutsus, but a disruption in a victim's chakra flow will end an illusion. Jun sparks chakra from her fingertips, and the girl jolts as if waking from a bad dream.

The Aburame turns his gaze on her, and Jun meets his gaze defiantly.

He wants to terrorize little children in front of her? Fine. But she refuses to sit back and do nothing.

The Aburame's gaze is blank, his sunglasses and high collar obscuring most of his face. But Jun swears she sees the slightest smile.

And then the killing intent is gone, and everyone takes a long needed breath.

* * *

Yasuhiro Hyuuga is by turns, too loud, and too quiet. Too carefree, and too mature. In the Hyuuga clan, he is considered an anomaly.

"Gran, I don't want to go," Yasuhiro pouts, tugging at the sleeve of an aging woman.

"We put this off for long enough Yasuhiro," the woman frowns disapprovingly down at him, "Your parents always wanted you to go to the Academy."

"But we're super early!" Yasuhiro pleads desperately, "Can we _please_ go back?"

"Everyone else is here early too. We're only a few minutes early so you can find your class," the woman assures him, "You'll make friends Yasuhiro, stop worrying." She pulls him along by his hand, dragging the unwilling boy to the message board. "There you are, Class 1-E." They turn to enter the school, but Yasuhiro digs his heels into the ground.

"Gran please-"

"Yasuhiro, that's enough," she cuts off sternly. "You'll do just fine." She detaches the boy from her arm, giving him a soft push towards the school. Yasuhiro's face scrunches up, and for a second it looks like he might tear up. But the moment disappears as soon as it came, and he smooths out his features into the blank expression all Hyuga wear.

"Yes Gran."

"Now, be good," the woman gives him one last pat on the head, "Pay attention in class. And stay away from any Uchihas, alright?" Yasuhiro nods, but his eyes are distant, focused on the laughing family in the distance. The woman gives him a small smile. And then, he is alone in a sea of people.

Yasuhiro lets himself be pushed forward by other children his age. New faces and senseless babbling rush over him like a tsunami. He looks around desperately for any sort of landmark, but all he sees are people and bright yellow walls. Panic begins to build up in his chest, and he looks around wildly. Is he lost already?

 _He can't be lost. If he's lost bad people will come to take him. They'll try to take his eyes and he won't ever see Gran ever again._

A small hand is placed gently on his shoulder, and Yasuhiro flinches backward violently. Calming his racing heart, Yasuhiro turns around nervously, expecting some sort of sketchy person in a cloak. Instead, it is a small girl, whose skin is even paler than his.

"You okay?" She asks softly. With her spiky black hair and obsidian eyes, Yasuhiro has no doubt that she is an Uchiha. Gran's words echo in his head, and Yasuhiro can only nod mutely.

"Alright, take a few deep breaths," she suggests. Yasuhiro inhales and exhales shakily, releasing pent up tension in his frame that he didn't even know he had. "That's it. Are you feeling better now?"

"Y-yeah," he stutters out. He offers an unsteady smile in an effort to save face.

"Great," she shoots him a small grin. Her hand leaves his shoulder, and Yasuhiro can feel her chakra leave his system like a retreating wave. She turns to leave, and Yasuhiro panics. He grabs onto the hem of her shirt, preventing her escape.

"Uh, sorry," Yasuhiro swallows nervously. "But, um, I need help finding class 1-E." He quickly releases the girl's shirt and shoves his hands into his sleeves. Ears burning with embarrassment, Yasuhiro hopes that she doesn't get offended at the physical contact like every other person he knows.

She smiled indulgently, "Sure." She grabs onto his sleeve and pulls him forward. They move smoothly through the crowd, in a way that it looks like everyone is simply flowing around the two of them. When they reach the labelled doors, Yasuhiro bows at the waist.

"Thank you for your help Uchiha-san. I'm sorry for the trouble."

The girl raises an eyebrow. "Uchiha-san?" she echoes, "Ah, I'm not an Uchiha."

Yasuhiro blinks, then squints to take a closer look at her features. Spiky black hair, narrowed black eyes, abnormally pale skin? Definitely an Uchiha.

"Yes you are."

"I'm not," she replies, and he can tell that she's fighting hard not to laugh, "I'm Jun Hiromi." She sticks out a hand in greeting, and Yasuhiro's entire face brightens.

"I'm Yasuhiro Hyuga," he grins widely, "It's nice to meet you!" Jun smiles at him again, but this time, it's tinged with sorrow. His grin falters a bit, and he wonders if he did something wrong. But the sad smile is gone in the blink of an eye, replaced with a complacent expression, and Yasuhiro wonders if he just imagined it.

"Well are you just going to stand there?" Jun laughs airily, "You're taking up the whole doorway."

The smile he gives her is practically blinding.

* * *

"... now, can anyone tell me what the sum of- Jun!"

Painstakingly, she looks up from her book. Beside her, Yasuhiro stifles his laughter, mouthing " _busted_ " behind his hand.

"Would you care to inform the class what's so interesting about your book?" Mizuki demands, plucking it out of her hands. "Why are you reading a history book in math class?"

 _Because you're boring as fuck, that's why._

"Because I'm trying to catch up on my studies, sir." Jun replies evenly instead. And even though it is the perfect subservient voice lacking any inflection, Mizuki still scowls.

"Detention Jun," Mizuki declares, confiscating the book. "This material is not covered for a few years. Focus more on the class." He turns to go back to the front of the room, and a few of the clan kids in front of her turn to jeer mockingly. Jun shrugs, and lays her head down on the desk.

" _Jun,_ " Mizuki yells again, "Pay attention."

She lifts her head off the table with a deep scowl, forcing herself to stare at the blackboard. The bags under her eyes are heavy, threatening to tug her eyes shut. Jun hasn't slept well in days; not with Danzo and his agents flitting around and whisking her off to the compound every chance they get.

The rest of the class passes by with a blur. Math hasn't changed, not for Jun. Numbers are numbers. If anything, it's the one thing she excels in. It's frustrating to have to listen to someone teach the basics of adding and subtracting.

The shrill bell that rings cuts through the drone of Mizuki's voice marks the end of the school day. Children practically scramble over each other to pack their bags and leave the classroom. Yasuhiro swings his bag over his shoulder. Before Jun can even reach for his books, the older boy snatches them out of her reach. Jun barely has the time to look at him with a mixture of confusion and mirth before Yasuhiro is already bouncing towards the door.

"Was there a reason for that?"

"Well, you look tired," Yasuhiro shrugs, "So I'm going to carry your stuff."

"I can still carry them myself, you know," Jun points out lightly, bumping shoulders with him.

"No way," Yasuhiro huffs, "Gran says not getting enough sleep is bad for your health. And doing work will make you even more tired."

Jun laughs, "You're such a mother hen."

"I'm not!" He protests, despite his own smile.

"Well, I still have to go to detention," Jun reminds him, "If you don't give me my stuff back, you'll have to wait."

"That's fine. But that means you have to train with me after you're done!"

Jun gives him a shove towards the door and makes one last grab for her bags. "You're doing great in school. You don't need to train."

Yasuhiro scrunches his nose, his expression unreadable. "But you're planning on graduating early. 'Great' isn't good enough."

Jun blinks, taken aback by his serious tone. His white eyes bore into hers, and Jun feels rather disconcerted by his perceptive gaze.

(She forgot that the people in this world were scarily perceptive. There were goddamn prodigies everywhere.)

"Maybe?" Jun answers nervously, though her words sound more like a question than a statement.

"Training ground 2!" Yasuhiro exclaims as they part ways at the door, "If you forget I'm not giving your stuff back!"

"Alright! Don't trash my stuff you dork!" Jun yells back, a fond smile on her face.

(This is enough. This is all she needs. All she wants is to be happy.)

.

If only it were really that easy.

* * *

 **Ahh! I'm so sorry I didn't update last week. Life got in the way, and I struggled a lot with this chapter because I can't write children.**

 **Prepare for a long author's note, there's some important stuff you all need to know.**

 **For one, I introduced the secondary OC I was talking about! He wasn't even supposed to exist, technically, but with Jun's mental health, I had to stick in another character to somewhat stabilize her.**

 **Okay, so people are getting confused about ages. That's okay, I'm still confused, tbh. Someone said that Kabuto and Itachi are the same age according the wiki. Which, I don't think is right? The wiki says that Itachi is 18 in Part 1, while Kabuto reaches 20 in part 1. Also, I've crosschecked with a few fan made timelines. If I _am_ wrong though, please correct me because that changes _everything_.**

 **Here's a timeline to straighten things out. (BNT means before nine tails, since there's no real timeline in the Narutoverse)**

 **7 BNT -** Kabuto Yakushi is born

 **6 BNT** \-  Yasuhiro Hyuuga is born

 **5 BNT** \-  Jun Hiromi is born, Itachi Uchiha is born, Hiromi Uchiha is killed by Danzo

 **4 BNT -** Start of the  Third Shinobi World War

 **2 BNT -** Kabuto joins root

 **1 BNT -** Jun joins root, Kaia joins root, Kaia is killed by Jun, End of the Third Shinobi World War, Minato Namikaze becomes the Yondaime Hokage

 **0 BNT/ANT** \- Where we are now! So far, no canon events have happened.

 **That's about all I have! Sorry for the lack of action in this chapter! There's a few important things I have to tie up in the upcoming chapter before I can really get to canon. One last thing. Does anyone know how old Shisui is? Because if not, I'm going to assume he's the same age as Itachi.**


	8. Academy Arc - The Kyūbi Attack

Jun wonders on days like these if Konoha is really worth it.

Mind, it is something that lurks on her subconscious at all times. A dangerous whisper that tells her tall tales of freedom and peace. It coos and croons, saying death would set her free from all of Konoha's treachery and deceit.

She grits her teeth, and brings to mind every one of Root's self control exercises as to not scream. Her chakra is a coiled snake, a spring with excessive amounts of force being applied with only her self control holding it back.

The woman in front of her and Yasuhiro seems oblivious to the storm brewing inside her eyes. Yasuhiro however, notices her tense shoulders, her clenched fists, and lightly sets his hand on the small of her back.

"You both did great work," the woman praises, although her gaze only focuses on the clan boy next to her.

Jun exhales deeply.

She should not be bitter. Yasuhiro - kind, cheerful Yasuhiro - has done nothing wrong. Jun already knows full well that in Konoha's eyes, she is just another bastard orphan that can be sacrificed for Konoha's good.

(She is not worth looking at twice.)

"Both of your written scores are excellent, and your ninjutsu and genjutsu skills are exemplary for your age. We will need to schedule another test for taijutsu, but I have no qualms in moving you two up a few levels," the woman smiles, "Hyuuga-san, we can move you up to the final year immediately. But Jun, I'm afraid we can only bring you up to the second to last year. It is required that future kunoichi take at least two years of kunoichi classes before graduation."

Jun believes exactly none of that bullshit.

They are both orphans. But Yasuhiro is a clan member, and she is not.

(They don't think she's worth it.)

Her eyes flash red for a mere second. Jun opens her mouth to spit venom, to make the woman feel the same bitterness and anger she feels. But instead, it is Yasuhiro who speaks first.

"No." He states firmly.

"Pardon me?" The woman raises an eyebrow.

Yasuhiro frowns. And for a split second, Jun sees the veins near his temples bulge. The chūnin instructor obviously does as well, because she is no longer smiling kindly.

"Jun got better scores than me all round. If you're going to move me up to the final year, you might as well let her graduate."

"Hyuuga-san, your concern for your friend is… gratifying, but we can not-"

"You move us both up," Yasuhiro continues, "Or you don't move either of us up."

Jun does not move, does not bat an eyelash. Yet dawning horror fills her mind. She can't lose the chance to move up. Yasuhiro means well, but she _can't fail_. "It's fine, 'hiro. Really."

"No it's not," Yasuhiro states firmly, "They can't put me ahead like that. We're staying together."

The woman sighs, rubbing her temples wearily. "I can't advance Jun any further than the second most advanced year, Hyuuga-san."

"Then there's no need to advance me any further," Yasuhiro says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, "Just advance both of us to the second to last year."

"I will discuss it with the office," the chūnin relents, tired of the conversation. "Please head back to your break. Mizuki-sensei will tell you our decision, alright?"

Jun has to force Yasuhiro to bow, her hand placed firmly on the nape of his neck. They leave the room quickly, even as Yasuhiro turns around to scowl.

They walk side by side in silence, roaming the halls until they reach the deserted classroom. Jun settles into her seat next to Yasuhiro apprehensively. He is visibly upset, something Jun has never witnessed from him.

In a way, they are more similar than Jun originally realized. They both repress and ignore their problems. Although Yasuhiro does it with smiles and jokes, while she turns to training and mind numbing studying.

"Hey," she rests her hand on his shoulder. Yasuhiro barely glances at her. "You okay?"

He grumbles something unintelligible under his breath.

"Come on," Jun coaxes, "Spit it out."

Yasuhiro grimaces. "I just- why didn't you say anything back there? You keep on acting meek and subservient. Like- you're-" He drops his head into his hands to rub his bandaged forehead, looking incredibly fatigued. Jun instantly realizes the problem. She doesn't want to admit it to herself at first, but when he doesn't meet her eyes, the realization hits her like a blow she knows to avoid.

"What did they do?" Jun demands, hard anger lacing her tone. Yasuhiro lowers his eyes, refusing to meet Jun's furious gaze. "Yasuhiro, _what the hell did they do_?" Jun firmly pries his hands away from his forehead. "Did they use it against you? If they used the seal I'll-"

"It's okay." His voice is so quiet it stops Jun in her tracks. Her eyes soften, and her heart yearns for this boy who shouldn't have to have a seal on his forehead define his whole life.

"Are you okay?" Jun asks again.

"I will be," Yasuhiro attempts to smile again. It comes out crooked and snaggled toothed. He looks utterly defeated, and Jun tries with all of her five year old body to engulf him in a bear hug.

"I'm going to punch them all in the face." Jun promises solemnly.

"You're not." Yasuhiro can't help but giggle.

"I will," Jun declares with a sweeping gesture of fake grandeur. She pulls away from Yasuhiro slightly, frowning as she runs her fingertips over his forehead. In between breaths, Jun makes a hasty decision, briefly stretching out her chakra to see if any Root agents were nearby. "It might not make you feel better, but-" She sticks out her tongue, black Root seal in plain sight.

Yasuhiro's eyes widen. Not many ninjas in Konoha are familiar with seal work, but loyalty seals cannot be mistaken. Especially when they are placed on a person.

"Is that-"

Jun slaps a hand over Yasuhiro's mouth. "Yeah, it is. Point is though, you can talk to me, alright? You're not allowed to brood. That's for your clan members, remember?"

Yasuhiro looks torn between smiling widely and breaking down into tears. Jun slides backwards in her chair, releasing him as if he were scalding metal. Her hands flutter uselessly. Jun is many things between her last life and this one, but a comforter of crying children is one of them.

"Thanks Jun," Yasuhiro hugs her again. "You're the best." They exchange grins, and the silence is filled with laughter.

* * *

They move classes the very next day.

The new class is significantly smaller. Out of the thirty some students still remaining, there are less than 10 non clan kids. And of those, Jun knows she can count on one hand the ones that will make it pass genin.

They get tucked away into the back most row, next to a boy with shockingly green hair. He looks faintly sickly, so Jun keeps her distance.

The teacher begins the lesson without hesitation, diving into a complex explanation on Yin and Yang chakra. Jun only listens long enough to absorb information about the Yin release before she turns back to her book. Yasuhiro dutifully takes notes besides her, occasionally prodding the girl to whisper a pointed comment.

The day passes by slowly. It seems as if the whole world is holding its breath for a big event. Even the sunlight that shines through the window seems lazy. It twirls and bends in wide circles, illuminating the room in a soft glow.

Surprisingly, most of the class leaves the two of them alone, content to go about their daily lives. The only exceptions are a sneering Hyuuga boy with a blank forehead, and a familiar looking Uchiha that stares at Jun with a mixture of confusion and thoughtfulness. But she and Yasuhiro keep to themselves. And that is enough.

Normal classes are arduous and boring. And even the brief introductory book to sealing Jun nabbed from the library is not enough to keep her from dozing off from time to time.

Genjutsu classes and ninjutsu classes go over what she already knows. She spends them helping Yasuhiro, letting him watch her chakra systems as she practices improving her control. The teacher long stopped caring. If Mizuki attempted to make her life difficult by calling her out on every detail, the new one tries to make her life difficult through blatant disregard for her education.

Taijutsu classes are actually her liberation. She is five, small statured and seemingly week. But she has nearly a year of hidden experience. Jun struggles and fights for her victory, but it makes her feel alive.

Konoha is rich with different fighting styles, some unique to a clan. Yet no matter what style, they struggle when fighting Jun. She knows she is not the strongest or the fastest. So she takes a detour. Jun uses their motions against them, deflecting, twisting, and sliding. Doing whatever it takes to bring the opponent to the ground. But on most days when she is paired with Yasuhiro, they don't spar. They _dance_.

It is her form against his form. His strikes against her counters.

Jun likes to think that it's at least entertaining to watch, if a six and a five year old doing flips and rolls as they try to sweep each other to the ground is considered as such.

It's boring and dull, a repeat of the basic education she already received in Root. But it is filled with happiness none the less.

(But she does not forget the horrors yet to come)

Jun's fifth summer comes and goes. And she begins to countdown the days until October 10th.

* * *

Jun is outside when the attack begins.

(A foolish mistake on her end)

She is outside to witness the sun being blocked out by a gigantic shadow. She is outside to witness the first bellowing roar of the Nine Tailed fox and feel its demonic chakra roll over the village in suffocating waves. She is there to witness the skies turn red with fire, there to witness the screams of terror.

Jun's stomach turns inside out as she feels the imminent threat of death clawing at her arms, and the feeling of it all around her in the air. Even as she scrambles out of the training ground back into the village as fast as her spindly legs would take her, Jun's cold chakra calls out to the demonic chakra, thrumming together in a cataphonic unity. It terrifies her, and Jun does the only thing she knows how.

She runs.

Jun watches the Nine Tails topple trees and squadrons of ninjas with its tail. Destroy stone buildings with a roar. She can not even begin to describe the size of the creature, let alone fathom its full strength. Its very tails reach up to the clouds, with paws big enough to crush buildings as if they were mere insects. It marches easily over the towering buildings, crushing people and sending homes flying with a slight twitch. Fear floods her being, and she can feel adrenaline pumping through her veins as she dodges shooting pieces of rubble and scours the streets for a hiding place.

People are screaming, shoving others out of the way in an attempt to flee anywhere that is not in the way of the demon. Corpses litter the streets, yet the masses trample on. Either unaware or uncaring.

It is catastrophy.

Above the screaming, Jun hears the trill whistle of ANBU as they move into formations. Yet she has no time to watch in awe. Her grip on the situation is slipping, and she is close to breaking down. Survival is her top priority. Yet within her muddled thoughts, she can only hear one thing.

 _Yasuhiro._ Her mind screams in tune with the chaos. _Where is he where is he-_

If Kabuto was her stars, and Kaia was her fire; then Yasuhiro is her sun. Bright and everything she could ask for.

Yasuhiro isn't a canon character. Jun does not know his future, nor his destiny. He could die in this Kyuubi attack and _she wouldn't know_. Jun needs to get to the Hyuuga compound. _She must_. Her life depends on it.

The Hyuuga Compound is secure, near the center of the village. But what's to stop the Nine Tailed Fox from getting to it? A few measly buildings?

The sky is on fire, and through the haze she can feel her sharingan itching to blaze to life. Her chakra is a tangled mess, and she has never felt so much killing intent in her life. Not even in Root.

She could die too. But Jun has already lived once. Yasuhiro deserves so much more than that. Jun rounds the corner to the burning Hyuuga Compound so fast she nearly stumbles. Her heart pounds in her ears as she scours the area for survivors.

Jun is so distracted by the scream that pierces through the air that she does not notice the wall directly behind her smash to pieces from the force of the Kyuubi's tail. Jun looks up just in time to witness the giant slabs tumble downwards pulled forth by gravity.

They fall together, and the world fades to darkness.

* * *

When Jun first wakes, she thinks she is in a dream. She is laying on an old dusty cot, one reminiscent of the one she owned during her time spent in the Root compound. It is so dark that she can see absolutely nothing. Night stretches on for what seems like miles. She breathes in the cool air, and feels the intake of oxygen relax her whole body. There is no pain, and all around her is a quiet that runs over her like water. She goes back under easily.

It is the warmth of her surroundings that finally pulls Jun out of her slumber. Her dreams have never been warm. It is always chilly, with cold drafts from her intrusive chakra. Little by little, she wakes.

Her eyes snap open, and she suddenly remembers the falling rocks. Jun sits up with a jolt, and she clutches at her body in self reassurance. There is nothing. No flaws on her skin except for the scarred over area from when Kaia attacked her.

 _Is she dead?_

She can't be dead. Can she? Not like this, _not like this_.

Jun pushes her chakra out around her, flickering wildly in panic, but there is no one near.

She is alone.

Jun brings her knees up to her chest. She is barefoot, clad in her usual attire of loose sweatpants and a skin tight long sleeve. There is nothing off, and that is what concerns her. Even the quiet is now eerie instead of calming.

As a last resort she calls chakra to her eyes. Jun's sharingan bleeds into her eyes, and the room comes back into focus. There are seals lining the walls, black ink barely visible in the darkness. There is a faint outline of a door in front of her, and Jun heads to it without second thought.

The light on the other side is jarring at first. But the hauntingly familiar halls both calms and scares Jun, and she hurriedly turns off her sharingan.

 _She is back in Root_.

The moment Jun steps outside, it is as if a wave of chakra and noise washed over her. Suppression seals line the doorway of her room, and Jun suddenly understands her previous sluggishness.

The white washed walls of the makeshift hospital wing are smooth beneath Jun's touch. The halls are jam packed with more operatives than Jun has ever seen at once in Root. Still, the hustle is efficient and no louder than a whisper, underlined only with the thrum of medical chakra.

Jun sets her sights on the exit. But before she can even begin to move, a hand clamps down heavily on her shoulder. Jun whips around to face her assailant, but the sudden movement leaves her dizzy and seeing double.

"Please return to your room, operative," the girl in front of her says, steadying Jun with her arms. "Med staff's orders."

"I feel fine," Jun huffs, face tinged red in embarrassment at her near fall.

"Med staff's orders," the girl repeats, leading Jun back into the room. "You were recently healed and put on a significant amount of painkillers. Please do not take this temporary ease as a sign of recovery." As Jun is none too gently pushed back onto the cot, the girl grabs onto a dangling silver cord. A thin curtain of light spills out from the waning light bulb, illuminating the previously dark room.

Jun is quick to protest. She is not willing to stay in Root after her liberation. The dark hallways are something that still haunts her waking moments, and no matter what, Jun is still too cowardly to face her walking phantoms. "But I am currently on a mission from Danzo-"

"Danzo-sama has ordered you to stay in the compound to await further orders," the girl informs her tonelessly.

A needle is gently slid under the skin of her forearm, and the medication kicks in before Jun can object.

* * *

After days spent at the hospital next to Gran's side, Yasuhiro is forced to return to the Academy. Even though he reads ahead and takes notes on all the planned lessons, both he and the clan know he must return if he is to go above and beyond Konoha's expectations.

He worries for his Gran, because she is all Yasuhiro has left. But Gran continues to insist, and he finally relents. Besides, Yasuhiro has not seen Jun since before the attack. Even though Yasuhiro tell himself that Jun will be fine, there is a nagging feeling that does not seem to disappear.

With a skip in his step, he bounds towards the classroom, expecting to be greeted with a snarky remark and a tight one armed hug. But instead, there is no dark haired girl to greet him with a wide grin. No one to lightly bump shoulders with. In her seat, there is an empty space, and Yasuhiro feels his gut drop to the floor.

Jun has _never_ missed a day of the Academy. No matter how much people sneer or she is mistreated. The green haired boy that sits in the third seat of their table gives him a sympathetic look, but says no more as the instructor enters with a loud "settle down!".

He can't focus. Yasuhiro's pen wobbles unsurely as he tries to take in the lesson to no avail.

There are a thousand things that could have happened to Jun. A thousand reasons as to why everyone refuses to meet his gaze. But he refuses to believe in the worst. It couldn't have happened. Not to Jun, who grins and shouts and treats him just as he is. That could never happen to Jun.

Throughout the lecture, Yasuhiro continuously glances at the side to an empty space and opens his mouth to talk to a person that isn't there.

(Yasuhiro has never realized how empty it was before Jun.)

Before long it is taijutsu lessons. Yasuhiro stands alone in the field as everyone splits off into little social cliques to partner up. Without Jun, Yasuhiro feels oddly small in the midst of his class. He backs up towards the edge of the field, hoping the teacher will forget about him and let him be.

The teacher doesn't approach him. There is no need.

An Uchiha boy reaches Yasuhiro first.

The boy is all smiling eyes glinting with mischief. "You want to partner up with me?"

"No thanks," Yasuhiro declines politely, lowering his head out of habit. If his Gran found out he was interacting with Uchihas, he would never hear the end of it. Yasuhiro turns to find another cluster of people to hide behind, but the boy's next words stop him in his tracks.

"Ah, that's a shame," the older boy links his hands behind his head in fake nonchalance, "Well, I guess no one gets to hear what I heard about your missing friend." Yasuhiro turns around in disbelief, furrowing his eyebrows as if he can't believe his own ears. The boy shrugs once more, a satisfied grin on his face as he turns to leave.

"Wait!" Yasuhiro yells, shoving his hand into the boy's face, "... I'm Yasuhiro Hyuuga."

"I know," the Uchiha grins cheekily.

"What happened to Jun?" Yasuhiro demands, slipping into a fighting stance to mimic the boy in front of him.

"Well if you put up a good enough fight," he shrugs, "I'll tell you."

The instructor blows his whistle, signaling the start of the fights. Yasuhiro does not hesitate to activate his byakugan, veins bulging as any surrounding chakra lights up like a beacon.

Yasuhiro inhales and exhales in tune to his pounding heart. _Deep breaths,_ he reminds himself. _Focus. Just like you practiced with Jun._

They circle each other warily, only rarely exchanging blows to gauge the other's ability. And then with a compressed release of chakra, the Uchiha _disappears_.

Except, not quite. Yasuhiro's byakugan is barely enough the follow the afterimages of the boy's chakra as he reappears behind him and lashes out with a vicious crescent kick. It is only countless practices with Jun that lets Yasuhiro pull up a guard just in time for the kick to come smashing down upon his block. Yasuhiro goes flying, gritting his teeth and rolling into a protective ball as he tumbles through the dirt. His 360 degree vision saves him once more as the Uchiha flickers over again and attempts to bash him into the ground. With a hooking motion, Yasuhiro pulls the other boy off his feet and hurriedly scrambles back up into his stance.

For a split second their eyes lock, and a silent challenge is ensued. Yasuhiro sinks low into the stance, white eyes darting back and forth as his palms move in a flurry of strikes in exchange with the irrationally fast boy.

They match blow for blow, kick for kick. But the left jab completely blindsides Yasuhiro, and the match ends with him sprawled out in the dirt, heavily panting as his chest heaves up and down.

The sun is blocked out when the Uchiha curiously sticks his head over Yasuhiro. To Yasuhiro's surprise, the older boy extends a hand.

"I'm Shisui Uchiha," he grins widely, "Pleased to meet you." Yasuhiro only grunts, nursing his tender jaw as he's pulled to his feet.

With nothing to do as the spars around them rage on, Yasuhiro pulls on the blankest face he can manage, byakugan fading even as he stares sharply at Shisui. "Was that a good enough fight?"

"I was going to tell you anyway," Shisui says, voice full of mirth. "But thanks. You did help me see how my body flicker would do against a Hyuuga."

"My taijutsu is not representative of my entire clan's," Yasuhiro mutters, a frown overtaking his face.

"That's fine," Shisui is smiling, and Yasuhiro has to fight the urge to not scowl and remain diplomatic.

"So?"

"So what?" Shisui is _still_ smiling.

"So what happened to Jun?" Yasuhiro all but demands.

"Well," Shisui crosses his arms, fixing Yasuhiro with a level gaze, "What do _you_ think happened to her?"

"I-" the words clamp up in Yasuhiro's throat, and he is left speechless. He looks down at the ground, a mixture of shame and despair burning within him.

"Woah, um-" Shisui hurriedly backtracks, "Look I didn't mean it like that. She's just been gone for a few days, it could just be a sickness or-" A pause. He seems to be considering his next words very carefully. "It's not as bad as you think. Probably."

 _What tact._ Yasuhiro can practically hear Jun's voice snort. It only makes his worry grow and bloom into a larger snarling vine.

Yasuhiro takes a deep breath to compose himself. "Has there been anything from her orphanage?" he questions, fiddling with the tips of his sleeves. He was definitely not avoiding the thought process of Jun being _gone_ and him not even knowing. Nope. Not at all.

"The teachers won't say anything about the missing students," Shisui admits, "But someone from her orphanage came and said she was in the hospital."

"That can't be right. I was just recently at the hospital," Yasuhiro frowns. He remembers having spent ages scouring the list of hospitalized victims for Jun's name, but returning with nothing.

"Well," Shisui claps a hand on Yasuhiro's shoulder. "Go ask the orphanage then. It'll be worth a try."

Yasuhiro certainly hopes so.

* * *

Despite his rush, Yasuhiro does not forget his duties. He keeps his Gran company as he does his schoolwork, staying at the hospital until the dusk sky fades into night. Only when the nurses enforce the visiting hours schedule does Yasuhiro leave. But he does not head home. Riding the last waves of the waning crowds, Yasuhiro finds his way to the Konoha Orphanage.

But when Yasuhiro arrives, the orphanage is already closed, all lights shut off except the street lamp out front. Mind set, Yasuhiro knocks and peeks into the front windows, repeatedly pushing the doorbell as if that is the solution to his problem. But only silence and the whistling of the wound through the trees can be heard in response to his attempts. Just when Yasuhiro feels all hope is lost, a shadowed figure exits the side door of the orphanage, looking to be the exact stature and size as Jun. Yasuhiro quickly ducks around the corner of the building, heart pounding heavily out of fear of being caught.

He spots short spooky black hair, and Yasuhiro's hopes begin to rise. Breath held, he wonders if the person really is Jun.

Except, that can not possibly be her. Yasuhiro reads and understands people far better than dusty old textbooks. It is something that comes to him as naturally as breathing. Gran always says a walk can tell you a lot about a person, from the way they carry themselves to the slightest flick of the eye.

Jun walks silently, stalking forward with deliberate steps. She bears wary eyes and an arched back that looks like she's always ready to fight or flight.

The figure is hunched, shoulders swaying and sagging close to the ground. There is no sign of Jun's alertness nor her stride. But that is unmistakably Jun's croppy black hair and her wavering chakra signature.

Yasuhiro crouches forward unsurely, sneaking just a few feet closer. The figure abruptly pauses in their movements, chakra simmering down to a stop. Then without a word, the world around him _crumbles_ as a chill seeps into his bones.

He's falling and _falling_ but he can't scream because there are _hands clawing at his throat_ and oh god he's going to-

A sharp spike of chakra jolts him out of the illusion with a forceful push. He's dizzy and disoriented. To be frank, Yasuhiro's not quite sure how he's still on his feet.

"Yasuhiro?" a panicked voice sounding oddly similar to Jun's cries out, "I didn't know it was- are you okay?" Yasuhiro wants to respond, but he feels nauseous to the core. Clutching at his head, he squeezes his eyes tightly shut and waits for the ground to become steady once more.

Warm arms steady him, and blearily, he forces his eyes to open.

"Yasuhiro?"

Jun stands in front of him, stabilizing him with her arms. A wave of relief passes over Yasuhiro, and he slumps against the girl, propping his head onto her shoulder.

Jun winces, her unseen bruises throbbing in pain. She reaches up and returns the hug none the less. But by then, Yasuhiro has already noticed her injuries. He pulls away and gives her a once over and furrows his eyebrows.

"Why weren't you at the Academy?" Yasuhiro demands. He's incredibly glad to see her, but the blue and black bruises that line her arms and jawline are not a comforting sight. "Were you at the hospital? Where did you get these from?"

"Don't worry so much," Jun brings her lips into a grin, but her eyes are pained and tired. "These are just from an accident, don't worry."

"Jun you can't avoid my questions like that," Yasuhiro shakes her lightly. Jun's eyes quickly dart from Yasuhiro to the shadows in the treeline, and Yasuhiro instantly knows something is wrong. _Incredibly_ wrong.

"It's fine, really." Jun continues to smile. Yasuhiro's never seen her like this before, forced and rigid. "I'll be back to the Academy in no time. It's getting late though. You should head home if you don't want your Gran to worry."

Yasuhiro doesn't mention that his Gran's in the hospital. Jun's eyes keep flickering from him to some unseen threat in the shadows. She wants him to leave, although he doesn't know why.

"Alright," Yasuhiro relents, squeezing Jun's forearm in support. Her shoulders visibly relax in relief, and she squeezes his shoulders back. "Well, I'll talk to you later then?"

"Yeah," Jun detaches from him, giving him a light push back onto the road. "Later."

With a heavy heart, Yasuhiro gives her a small wave and turns to leave. It only takes a few steps forward before a he feels a rush of chakra behind him.

Yasuhiro doesn't have to look back to know Jun is gone.

* * *

 **Wowie I'm like, a month late with this update. I just struggled _so much with this chapter for some reason_ and I really don't know why. Thank you guys for all of your reviews and continued support! It really kept me going ;^))**

 **I'm not going to get another chapter out this week for sure, but if it makes you feel any better, I'm doing 20,000 words for Camp Nanowrimo, so there will (probably) be semi-lengthy updates during all of April!**

 **(Also really I write half of my chapters at midnight so really if there's any mistakes or plot holes don't be afraid to point it out) It's also totally cool to just come up to me and talk about this story. Because honestly, I have a general plot line and I'm winging everything else.**

 **Currently still unbeta-ed. So all mistakes are my own.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Academy Arc - The Return

Root is the support of the tree, the organization that serves Konoha from its shadows. In concept, Jun thinks it could have turned into something great. But due to Danzo's harsh leadership and heinous ideals, it has twisted and shriveled into something that she would rather look away from.

So that is why Jun does not understand the _failure_ of Konoha's leadership to disband the organization. A separate platoon of soldiers that only follows Danzo's command? It practically spells out revolution. In a militaristic village such as Konohagakure, it means nothing more than outright disobedience of the leadership. No matter Hiruzen's loyalty towards his old team mate, Root is a threat unto the village it has pledged to protect.

Jun can not _count_ the amount of times she has practically _seen_ Hiruzen turn a blind eye to Root's workings. It's absolutely ludicrous, and makes her blood _boil_.

Because of Hiruzen's lack of ability to stop Danzo, she and countless orphans that are barely old enough to enter the Academy have to undergo intense physical and emotional training. She has seen _seven year olds_ beat each other to death without any remorse on their face.

Being a leader is hard, Jun knows. But that does not excuse his mistakes or shortcomings in any manner.

Jun can not help but feel bitter resentment boiling in her chest as the walls of Konoha peek over the canopy of trees. In formation behind two other Root members, Jun smothers her chakra and prepares for her return.

The dried blood on her arms is sticky, cracking in various places on her skin. Her arms are covered in it, red splattering all over her limbs. Jun should feel horrified, but she is far too numb and tired to care. Even the severed heads Jun helped load into a storage seal are just tiny pricks in her mind.

Near the far west side of the wall, they stop near the treeline, not daring to edge forward lest they be spotted by a patrolling ninja. The tallest operative signals for Jun to cast a minor genjutsu with a series of choppy hand signs. Wordlessly, Jun projects a veil of chakra over them, hiding them from sight as the third member activates a hidden seal nestled into the roots of an etiolated elm. A pulse of chakra rings out from the base of the tree, dispelling the other traps guarding the entrance. The ground below them ripples and the forest ground gives away to a hidden metal door.

Silent as a phantom, they disappear down into the trapdoor. The seal thrums to life as the door shuts, and the air ripples as the door once again disappears from view.

The drop takes them to hauntingly familiar hallways. Ones that Jun does not know by heart, but from the forced blueprint memorization of Root's ever shifting complex. No one greets them, but Jun is nonetheless aware of the blank stares that come from the shadows.

Up stairs and across gaping chasms, Jun swears the Root compound is far bigger and grander than what is practical. The dark hallways eventually bleed into something more pleasant as they get closer to the center of the complex, but Jun is not at all fooled by the Japanese styled hallways. If anything, the pleasant aroma from the various potted fauna puts her all the more on edge.

At the end of the hallway lies a doorway painted red and spotted gold. Danzo's oppressive chakra leaks out from the cracks of the door. No matter how smothered and compressed he has made it, Jun still shivers at the feeling of it. Beside him in the room are two unknowns. From the scent and calm chatter, they seem to be exchanging pleasantries over tea.

If any of the other operatives feel the slightest bit of awkwardness or embarrassment at standing in wait whilst covered in blood, it doesn't show in their body language. Jun follows their example, although she can't help but discreetly pick at the flaking blood on her arms.

"You may enter," Danzo calls. They shuffle into the room silently, kneeling before Danzo with a low bow. The two other elders in the room do not even bat a lash at their presence. "Agent Shin, report." Jun's ears perk up at the mention of that name. It's oddly familiar, but she can't seem to place it.

"We arrived at the outpost at approximately 0620 hours. There were 10 enemies, 6 of which were identifiable, and 5 of which were targets," Shin states solemnly. "Agent Masu and I dispatched of the 6 identifiables while agent Jun dealt with the rest. The target's corpses are in this scroll." Shin hands the scroll over to Danzo, and the man tucks it into his haori. The other elders are still unfazed, sipping at their tea as if it as an everyday thing to see _children_ covered in blood bring in bodies from an assassination mission.

"Well done," Danzo praises them, although there is no satisfaction or anything of the sort in his voice. "Agent Shin and Agent Masu, you are dismissed. Agent Jun, you are to stay. There are a few things we must discuss."

Shin and Masu back out of the room, sliding the door shut firmly. Jun has to forcibly relax her shoulder muscles, smoothing out her features under her mask despite her apprehension.

"Is this the girl?" The elderly woman speaks up. "She does not look like very much."

"She is still very young," Danzo agrees with a curt nod. "Jun, you have permission to remove your mask." Bewildered, Jun obeys, setting the porcelain mask off to the side.

"You are right," the other man nods, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "The resemblance is absolutely striking." Jun keeps her eyes fixated on the ground. Her head is spinning with possibilities of her current situation. Who even are these people? What does Danzo want with her?

"Child, this is Homaru and Koharu. They are elders of this village," Danzo introduces. Jun barely allows herself one sparse glance to take in their features before she bows once again. This time, her gaze doesn't leave the ground. "They assist the Hokage in his decisions regarding Konohagakure."

There is a long pause, and Jun is hesitant to raise her head. All three elders are staring at her expectantly, guarded eyes examining her as she did them.

"So, Jun," Koharu breaks the silence gently, "How are you performing at the Academy?"

Jun glances at Danzo briefly. Seeing no change in expression, she assumes she is to talk. "I am performing to the best of my ability. I am at the top of my class for everything but taijutsu." At the last part, Jun does her best to avoid Danzo's harrowing gaze. Part of her temporary withdrawal from the Academy must have been based off of that if the man's frown is to say anything.

"Has she improved enough?" Homaru asks, voice tinged with the slightest bit of irritation. "We have managed to keep Hiruzen unaware, but her increased absence and sudden disappearance will raise questions. Even if she is an orphan."

"It is enough." Danzo declares, locking gazes with Jun. It is unbelievably high praise coming from the man, but suddenly her insistent "sparring" sessions with elder Root operatives makes sense.

Jun can feel herself metaphorically bristling. She's suffered over two weeks of beatings because Danzo can not handle the fact that a physically five year old child is sometimes not always enough to win over a twelve or thirteen year old? Absurd.

Jun clenches the fabric of her pants, her dull nails digging into her legs to keep her emotions in check. She needs to stay calm in this hazardous situation. Patience is key.

"Does she have the sharingan?" Koharu's sharp eyes bore into her.

"She does," Danzo affirms, motioning for Jun to show them. The trickle of chakra to her eyes is second nature by now. As the room sharpens into focus, Jun feels the faint burn of embarrassment from being treated as if she's one of Danzo's cheap circus acts.

"Well, do they work?" Hotaru frowns, stroking at his beard. Jun's left eyelid twitches imperceptibly. "Has she developed any special abilities?"

"As of right now, she can only cast genjutsu with it," Danzo explains, "Upon further maturity, she will develop skills unique to her eyes. However with her… diluted blood, there may be some changes we must look out for."

Snide comment aside, his in depth knowledge does not seem at all suspicious to the elders as they nod in understanding. _You shouldn't know that. You shouldn't know this much_. Jun growls in her mind. _You bloodline thief. I can_ see _the implanted sharingan eyes disrupting chakra flow all over your body. Do not take me for a fool_. Still, she grits her teeth and stares solemnly at the elders.

"Well, I leave her to you then," Danzo stands, clutching at his walking cane for support. He hobbles slowly out of the room, every bit the image of a fragile, war torn man. But each methodical tap of his cane against the wooden floor spells out a message that lodges itself into Jun's mind.

 _Comply. Do not forget your duty._

"We have a lot of work to do," Koharu sighs, setting down her tea. Her hair ornaments jingle with the movement, and through her sharingan, Jun can see the potential to harm in the simple decoration. "Tilt your head up three more degrees," Koharu orders, and Jun lifts her chin up to mirror the old woman, "Fold your hands on top of each other. And loosen your shoulders for kami's sake." Jun obeys hesitantly, unclenching her hands from her blood stained fabric to rest gingerly in her lap. She stares them directly in the eyes, and exhales slowly through her mouth. No matter what challenges Danzo plans for them to throw at her, she will face head on. She has not faced death and bled from her eyes to stop here.

"Now child," Hotaru leans forward, his tea still held tightly in his hands. "Tell me what you know about the current economic situation between Konoha and Kiri."

… What?

* * *

The days bleed into weeks. Jun still stays absent from the Academy. Yasuhiro spends the chilly days of the school year studying and training. Shisui helps him from time to time in exchange for sparring sessions. But the older boy is not nearly enough to replace Jun, despite their similar humor and mannerisms.

"Yasuhiro, get up," Shisui tugs at the boy's haori. "Yasuhiro I'm serious, this is extremely important. You're missing out on something big."

"Let me guess, that bratty Yamanaka kid finally accepted your challenge to a spar?" Yasuhiro doesn't look up from his book. He flips another page casually, not even batting an eyelash despite Shisui's insistent pulling.

"Look, I wish, but we don't always get what we want. That's not the point here though," Shisui forcibly jerks Yasuhiro out of his chair, sending his book tumbling onto the table. "Let's go. You'll thank me later." He unceremoniously drags Yasuhiro out of the classroom by the arm, marching onward even as Yasuhiro stumbles to keep up with his relentless pace.

"Shisui," Yasuhiro protests, "Class is going to start soon. Sensei won't be happy if we're late."

"Just trust me," Shisui shoots back easily, "This will be worth it."

The open space where the main office is located comes into view. Yasuhiro frowns, eyebrows furrowed and mouth opened to speak when he sees her.

 _Choppy black hair and dark baggy clothes. It's her, it has to be_.

Shisui grins at the look of stupor and shock on Yasuhiro's face. He releases Yasuhiro's arm to put his hands on his hips as he sports a cocky grin.

"I told you it would be worth it Yasuhiro."

Jun whirls at the mention of the name, various papers clutched tightly in hand. Their eyes lock, and there is a moment, a rush of adrenaline, where the visual and mental connection is made.

(It has been weeks, and oh gods, she has missed him)

And then Jun is barreling into Yasuhiro, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground with entangled limbs. Shisui is snickering off at the side, but Yasuhiro is laughing breathlessly even as Jun's sharp elbows dig into his stomach.

"Hey nerd," Jun chokes out, her arms wrapped tightly around Yasuhiro's neck.

"Hey dork." Yasuhiro smiles, no real venom behind his words. He pats her back gently, and she squeezes him closer to her.

Jun gives it a full ten seconds before she releases him, grinning from ear to ear as they help each other up off the ground.

"So Yasuhiro," Shisui smirks with smug satisfaction, "Have something to say to me after all?"

"Thanks Shisui," Yasuhiro rolls his eyes fondly. "Sorry for ever doubting your 'greatness'."

"You better be." Shisui says with a loud huff, "You owe me something. Let's say... an introduction."

"What." Jun blinks owlishly at the new figure. Wordlessly, she looks to Yasuhiro for an explanation.

"Shisui, this is Jun. Jun, this is Shisui," Yasuhiro turns Jun around to face the other boy, "He helped me look for you while you were gone."

There is a flash of recognition in Jun's eyes that Shisui does not miss.

(Jun does not miss his tightened smile either.)

"I'm Jun Hiromi," She sticks out a hand in introduction.

"Shisui Uchiha." He shakes her hand back.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

(It really isn't. And Jun is hit in the chest with a heavy and painful sense of déjà vu.)

Their inherent distrust of each other is plain as day. Yasuhiro frowns at the uncomfortable tension in the air, but decides to take it in stride.

"We can talk during break, yeah?" Yasuhiro looks back and forth between them, gauging their respective reactions. When neither responds, Yasuhiro tries "Let's get back to class?"

"Sure." Shisui and Jun say together, before regarding the other with a raised brow.

The walk back is filled with a silence that is tense beyond comparison, and Yasuhiro wants nothing more than to pull at his hair. He thought with their somewhat similar personalities they would get along, not be extremely on edge. Even Yasuhiro's discomfort is clearly visible, and both Shisui and Jun attempt to be more civil for his sake. The end result however, is a plethora of uneasy smiles and choppy exchanges.

They find their seats, and Yasuhiro can tell Jun's concern when Shisui settles down beside him by the way she crinkles her eyes into a smile, but doesn't grin.

This was bound to be a long class.

* * *

"Alright," Yasuhiro drops his heavy textbook on the table, jarring the table to gain Shisui and Jun's attention. "We need to talk."

"You're talking right now," Shisui raises an eyebrow.

"No, I'm serious," Yasuhiro points an accusing glance at either person seated on either side of him, "Whatever problem you guys have with each other, get over it."

"I don't have a problem with him," Jun shrugs off easily. The lie is so blatant that Yasuhiro gives her the driest look he can manage.

"I'm leaving you two alone for 10 minutes," Yasuhiro crosses his arms, "Grow up and get along." With that, he leaves them in a huff, nerves grated after having spent all morning in the middle of a suffocating atmosphere.

There is silence. Neither is willing to be the one to first initiate the conversation.

Jun lets out a deep sigh and turns to face the older boy. She is far older mentally, this level of pettiness and prejudice should be beyond her. "I don't trust you," Jun admits, propping her feet up on the side of her chair.

"Are we stating the blatantly obvious?" Shisui snarks, "Because I don't trust you either." He issues Jun a challenge with his eyes. A small smile makes its way onto her face as Jun realizes his intentions. To put it into a literal sense, Shisui wants to rip the bandage off as quickly as possible.

"I don't know why you're suddenly interested in Yasuhiro," Jun taps her fingers along the table. "You've had nearly all year, why now?"

"I need a doujutsu user that's not an Uchiha to help me improve my jutsu," Shisui explains. "On the other hand, I think you look far too much like an Uchiha for your own good."

"Blame genetics," Jun shrugs it off nonchalantly, refusing to meet Shisui's eyes. "Uchihas aren't the only people in the village with dark hair and black eyes."

Shisui frowns at her, "You know what I'm talking about."

"On the contrary, I don't," Jun scowls deeply, "And _that_ , is none of your concern."

"I think it is," Shisui spoke lightly. "Just a little bit." Jun's eyes flicker to the fan sewn into his shirt, but still says nothing. He stares at her half lidded eyes a moment too long for comfort.

This is important. Jun can't afford to screw up. If word gets out, if Shisui starts even the slightest rumor, there will be a political nightmare hanging over her head. Bastard children to a dojutsu clan aren't just _ignored_. They're either experimented on or disposed of. She scrunches up her nose with a frown, eyes flickering carefully to the other students in the room. Rubbing tiredly at her temples, Jun makes up her mind. Scooting her chair so that her back faces the window, she mouths, "I'm a bastard orphan. It doesn't matter. _Drop it._ "

"Hm," Shisui gives Jun a long once over. She swallows nervously, unsure of his next move. "Well," he begins, stroking his chin as if in deep thought, "I also think your eyes look really squinty."

Jun blinks in surprise at his tactful subject change. "Well I think your haircut looks awful." She manages to shoot back.

"Well I- hold on, that was a low blow."

A victorious smile spreads across Jun's face. "But I thought we were stating the blatantly obvious?"

There's a lapse as the irony hits Shisui upside the head. "Alright, we might have gotten off to the wrong start." Shisui grins, extending his hand. "I'm Shisui Uchiha. And that, was _smooth_."

"Jun Hiromi," Jun can't help but laugh as she shakes his hand.

From the doorway of the classroom, Yasuhiro grins.

* * *

The sun shines down on the still lake, bright and full in the cloudless sky. The blue waters are crystal clear, reflecting the scenery around it like a mirror. Itachi toes the lukewarm water with his foot, sending out small waves that ripples through the calm atmosphere.

The quiet is soothing, filled with singing birds and rustling leaves. Splayed out on the wooden dock as he soaks in the warmth of the sun, there is no place Itachi would rather be.

A shadow casts over his head, and Itachi lazily opens his eyes, peering at the newcomer through his eyelashes.

"Itachi," Fugaku speaks softly, "Are you ready to go to the Academy?"

Itachi sits up, smoothing out his navy shirt as he straightens his back. "Yes father. I have all of my things ready."

"Let us go then," Fugaku puts his hands into his sleeves, "The Hokage is delivering a speech this year at the entrance ceremony. We must not be tardy." Itachi bows his head slightly, standing as he slings his backpack over his shoulder. The warmth of the sun and the scent of the fauna beckon him to stay, but he remembers his duty.

The father and son make their way onto the gravel road. Setting a leisurely pace, they stroll out of the training grounds and into the outer courtyards of the Uchiha compound. "Say, father," Itachi looks up at the man.

"Yes?"

"Will Sasuke be okay if I go to the Academy?" the black haired boy frets, "Won't both you and mother be busy? Who will watch him?"

Fugaku blinks at the sudden intensity in Itachi's worry, before chuckling lightly at the wide eyed gaze Itachi has. "Don't worry Itachi. Your mother has already found a temporary caretaker for him. Sasuke will do just fine."

"Oh," Itachi trails off quietly, "That's good, then." There is a lull as their conversation fades off. He fiddles with his fingers, head slightly downcast as they stride through the streets. Fugaku glances at his son with a watchful gaze, but decides to leave it be.

People greet them as they head towards the center of the village. Fugaku acknowledges them with a brusque nod of the head. Even out of his Konoha Military Police uniform, Fugaku's confident stride and stark robes adorned with the Uchiha fan are enough to mark him as the clan head.

"Here we are," Fugaku announces as they cross through the front gate. A mob of parents and children alike are gathered in front of a wooden podium, scattered from one end of the courtyard to the other. Chūnin instructors stand in a straight line, assisting children in forming rows with clipboards in hand. The noise is loud and cluttered, almost stifling. Itachi doesn't want to be here. He really doesn't. Training to become a ninja is great. Doing it with so many other children, was not. Nevertheless, Fugaku gives Itachi a light push on the back towards them. "Go on, I'll be waiting in the back."

Itachi frowns, but gets in line. Standing stiffly with a straight back and raised chin, Itachi focuses on the figure draped in white that steps up the the platform, determined to listen diligently. From further up in the lines, Itachi spies a familiar face. Izumi*, another Uchiha he's met a few times before, gives him a small wave. Itachi returns it hesitantly. Slowly, the crowd quiets down at the sight of the Hokage tilting up the brim of his hat.

"Thank you for all arriving here, and congratulations on all of your acceptances into the Academy," the Hokage grins down at the children, his smoking pipe in one hand. "It brings me great pleasure to see so many young and bright students working hard to become a ninja of this village." He takes a pause, letting his wrinkled eyes survey the new students for dramatic effect, "Remember that in the Academy, we are training to be able to contribute to our wonderful village. Through ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and even subjects like math, you all will be able to blossom and grow into something great. May the will of fire be with you as you learn at the Academy."

As if on cue, a strong draft picks up, swirling hair and clothing as leaves do a flurried dance in a whirlwind of air. Cloak fluttering in the wind, the Hokage looks larger than life dressed in his robes of pure whites and royal reds. In his mind's eye, Itachi sees a vision of peace, prosperity, and warmth in the Hokage's eyes. In his wrinkles, he sees hopes for the future, and promises of happiness and joy.

 _It gives him hope._

Then the leaves fall, and the gust of wind dies down to a mere breeze. The magic of the moment is gone so quickly that Itachi feels he dreamed it up entirely. The Hokage steps down from the stage, and a nondescript chūnin instructor steps up to explain the Academy's procedures.

They are dismissed briefly to go give one last farewell to their parents before the beginning of class.

(Itachi doesn't bother. He knows father has already left.)

"Itachi!" Izumi yells excitedly from afar, waving her hand furiously over the throng of people. Pushing her way through the crowd, she makes her way to walk alongside the boy. "I haven't seen you in a while! What class are you in?"

"I'm in 1-B with Mizuki," Itachi answers.

"Hey, me too!" Izumi grins, flashing pearly white teeth. "Are you excited to start the Academy?"

"Yeah," Itachi nods with a upwards tilt of his lips. "I'm really looking forward to becoming a shinobi."

"Yeah!" Izumi chirps, bouncing on her feet, "Let's work hard together then!"

A soft smile. "Of course."

* * *

Shisui had slid into Jun and Yasuhiro's lives easily, accepting the duo's strange dynamic and throwing in his fair share of bad puns and assistance in sparring. Surprisingly, Shisui does not ever bring up the question of Jun's ancestry when the three of them are together. There are certainly times during training when Jun gets particularly vicious that he looks into her obsidian eyes with caution, as if expecting them to light up like the color of fire any moment. But otherwise, he is kind enough to stay away from the subject. Jun does her best to help him as well, and the duo slowly but surely becomes a trio.

The new school year is nothing different for Jun or Yasuhiro. Aside from the dwindling numbers in their classroom, there is seldom change in their daily routine. They're in the same class once more, because there really are only enough students left for one graduating class. It's far more palatial than their last one, with taller ceilings and vast blackboards.

Jun and Yasuhiro take a table close to the back for themselves, setting their bags on the third seat to reserve it for Shisui. They lounge in comfortable silence, each mesmerized in books they had checked out from the Konoha Central Library. The cool winter air blows into the room through the top panels of the windows, causing the dangling ceiling light to swing back and forth. Other students begin to pour into the classroom, most giving the two a wide berth as they settle down into seats of their own picking.

The analog clock on the wall ticks perpetually, a steady beat in the midst of the chatter of the room. Jun looks up briefly from her book to check the time. The hands read 8:34, four minutes past when class was supposed to begin. However, not only does the teacher remain absent, but the third seat in their table stays empty. Sensing something is off, Jun begins to ponder.

"Hey 'Hiro, is Shisui sick?"

"Hm?" Yasuhiro looks up briefly from his book to see the empty chair, "I'm not sure. I haven't seen him since the end of last school year."

"Me neither," Jun frowns thoughtfully, "He's never this late though, right?" Yasuhiro scratches at his head, and opens his mouth to respond when the door slides open with a loud 'clack'.

"Sorry for the delay everyone," their dark haired instructor apologizes, rushing into the room with a pile of papers in his arms. "The welcoming ceremony took a bit longer than expected." He scrutinizes the room momentarily, placing a large grin on his face. "Is everybody ready for a new school year?" There are a few mumbles, and someone cheers from the back.

"That was pretty lackluster," the instructor frowns. "Well, I'm Iruka Umino. I'll be your teacher for the duration of this year. I'm sure you all know how the schedule goes, so let's start with attendance."

Iruka reads through the list quickly, barely glancing up at the various 'here's echoed throughout the room. "... Mai Ueda, Hideo Uehara, Ryuu Yamaguchi…"

But no Shisui Uchiha.

Yasuhiro and Jun exchange similar glances of panic. There was only one graduating class because of the immense amount of Academy applicants after the Nine Tail attack. The smaller graduating classes had been combined to clear up more classroom space.

If Shisui wasn't here, then he was _gone_ from the Academy.

Jun has to grab the edge of her chair to stop herself from making an outburst. Yasuhiro grabs onto her sleeve, and gives Jun a meaningful look.

They would find him. Even if Jun has to return to Root to find a trace of the boy.

* * *

 **A/N I'm so sorry I haven't updated in ages, as you can see my motivation for Camp Nanowrimo ran out pretty quickly. I didn't really even finish this chapter, but I thought I'd put it out anyways since** **you guys have been patient for so long.**

 **We're (finally) pushing past the Academy arc, Jun will probably graduate next chapter. The good parts are finally coming up!**

 **Also, there's a poll on my fanfiction user page you should go take! It's regarding how much angst I should write into the story. Because _believe_ me, Jun's life can get a lot, lot worse, and I do want your opinion on it.**

 **If anyone has seen my beta tell them I miss them! There are probably many mistakes in this chapter, but all of them are mine ;)**


	10. DISCONTINUATION NOTE and Ch 10 Draft

**Hi, hello! You should probably read the below note:**

 **It's basically been two years since I've updated, and I'm sorry to come to y'all now with an unfinished draft of chapter 10 that I've been sitting on for over a year and a half now. And the reason for that is, I lost a lot of my motivation to write this story. It wasn't very well planned out, and going back a lot of the chapters are just unnecessarily edgy and ostentatious. Point is, I had some plot points I wanted to explore with this story but I'm not nearly satisfied with my writing and how I could possibly achieve it with the building I've done and the severe lack of planning.**

 **TLDR; I will probably never be updating this again. But I might rewrite it in the near or far future, and maybe actually develop Jun more as an actual character. Basically abandoned, at this point. If anyone wants to ask me what I had planned and see those sheets, you're welcome to send me a mesage!  
**

* * *

Ironically, Jun finds him the moment Yasuhiro departs from her side.

Shisui is strolling down the streets, hands in pockets as he casually scans the store signs he passes. It's so familiar and normal and so... Shisui that Jun is thrown off by it all.

He stops in his tracks, as if noticing eyes on him. Their eyes lock, and Jun hesitantly waves. Shisui hesitates only for a moment, and it is only the fact that she has spent the last year training and figuring out his ticks that lets her notice. As Shisui grins and heads towards her, a piece of metal glinting on his forehead and the puffiness of his eyes becomes apparent, Jun understands.

"Hey, look who it is," Jun smiles widely, giving a short salute. "Where've you been?"

"Training," Shisui sighs, "The clan won't shut up about improving ever since I got my..."

 _Sharingan_. The word goes unsaid, but the momentous silence speaks magnitudes upon magnitudes of messages.

Jun's mouth feels dry. She knows what that means. Flashes of pain and fear rush over her, as black dots spot her vision. Jun forces herself back into reality by digging little red crescent moons into her palms. "Shisui I'm. Well, sorry we weren't-"

"Don't worry about it." Shisui only smiles lopsidedly, and even then it looks forced. "It would've happened eventually."

There's a pregnant pause so awkward, Jun coughs to diffuse the tension.

"Congrats on the promotion though."

"Thank you," Shisui shuffles awkwardly. "Walk with me to the third training ground? There's something I need to do."

"Of course."

Jun supposes this would have gone smoother if Yasuhiro were here. He was the kinder one, the understanding one. He probably even knew her misgivings better than she herself did.

(He gives her courage. Or, at the very least, the smallest nerve to try again. And shuffling down the crowded streets with Shisui, Jun feels she needs all the courage she can get.)

She knows she has no right to accuse Shisui of leaving them. After all, she would have found out far earlier if she had paid just a little more attention. Just cared a little more about Shisui.

But he's an Uchiha. A dark haired boy with dark eyes that shine with potential. And oh gods, the very name makes her blood boil. Fucking prodigies. Fucking dojutsus.

They are one and they same, and that's why she can not bear to look at him.

(She hates him because she can't face her own shortcomings.)

Jun supposes they've never really been truthful with one another. Not even with Yasuhiro mediating for the past year. She looks carefully up at the shaggy haired boy out of the corner of her eye. Curly, uncontrollable hair that frames the shiny metal headband resting atop his forehead, the smallest bit of freckles dotting underneath his coal colored eyes. They could pass for siblings, with their curly hair and sharp black eyes. It's like Jun's seeing Shisui for the first time, a whole person in the flesh instead of the tragic end he becomes.

(A tragedy, that's what Shisui is. Or, is going to be. Bright, young, and selfless. Giving up his life for his family, his village.)

(Jun thinks it's beyond depressing.)

They end up in front of the memorial stone, its green sheen unfairly bright in the afternoon sun. Shisui's eyes momentarily bleed red, each and every name burning into his memory.

(The amount of names missing is astounding. Shiro, Aki, Agent 339, Agent 403, Masu, Agent 290, Kaia _Kaia_ _KAIA-_ )

"Who was it?" Jun hears herself ask softly. Except, that can't be her. Not the fragile, crackly voice of a six year old.

(Jun used to be another. Or, she simply used to be. Jun doesn't remember who exactly anymore, but the dead girl and her are one and the same.)

(Same selfishness, same flaws. But every time she looks down at her frail hands she sees blood and feels like broken china pieces delicately taped back together. It makes everything seem surreal.)

"... My teammate," Shisui whispers brokenly. "His name was Goro." Jun wraps an arm around Shisui, pulling the older boy in for a hug.

"You did your best. I'm sure he would be proud."

"No I didn't, that's the thing," Shisui bites out scathingly, anger furrowed into his brow. "I wasn't brave enough. Wasn't skilled enough. Wasn't _fast_ enough. God Jun, I worked so hard to master the body flicker technique and yet I- I failed him Jun. He died choking on his own blood and my other teammate hasn't even woken up yet. I'm a _failure,_ Jun." Shisui's bottom lip is wobbling as he nears tears in his frustration. Jun decides its time to take drastic measures. Grabbing him by the shoulders, Jun practically slams her forehead against his.

"Shisui, that is by far the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth," Jun says. "It is not your fault. That's not how the world works. It isn't fair, but you are not to blame."

Shisui opens his mouth to retaliate, but a new voice interrupts. "... Is now a bad time?"

Shisui jolts, turning to face the newcomer with a smile plastered onto his face. Jun notes sadly that he's becoming more and more practiced at it.

"Heya Itachi," he smiles. "Sorry about that, just… catching up with a friend. Didn't realize you were here already."

Ah.

Jun's body twitches imperceptibly. No, she absolutely refuses to turn around. This can't be happening.

Yet common courtesy (and Shisui's painful grip) wins over in the end. Jun waves awkwardly, eyeing the Uchiha heir only a couple centimeters shorter than her.

"I'm Jun Hiromi. It's nice to meet you, Itachi-san."

"You as well," Itachi nods politely. "Do you attend the Academy? You look familiar."

Shisui pats Jun's back proudly. "She's in the final year actually!" he declares, ignoring Jun's mumbled 'you sound like an uncle' comment. "Itachi, remind me to introduce you to Yasuhiro as well. You'll like him. They're both great training partners."

Itachi looks intrigued, and Jun internally curses Shisui's deflection techniques. This talk was far from over, but he needed space first and foremost.

Jun can do that. It's one of the few things she can do.

"Well, I promised to meet up with Yasuhiro soon, so I'll leave you two be," Jun tucks her hands into her pockets. "Shisui, come visit more often. And I'll see you at the Academy Itachi."

"Bye Jun."

"Farewell."

And with one final wave, Jun disappears in a whirl of leaves, letting her chakra propel her through the crisp autumn air.

On a rooftop not too far away, she stops to gather her nerves, taking deep breaths that bring the sharp tangy scent of the market square to her senses. Knees trembling from a deep knot of unsettlement deep in her stomach, Jun turns to run towards the most secluded training ground she knows of.

Train, train, _train_. That's all she can do to keep her mind off the endless turmoil in her mind. The innocent stare Itachi had given her. The fact that he would one day murder his own clan (and ShisuiShisuiShisui). Itachi's tsukuyomi and his strength in the sharingan and how _easily_ he could and would end her if he found out about her heritage.

(She's scared scared _scared_ to her core)

Throwing caution to the wind, her eyes go ablaze with red and she wraps herself in a tight genjutsu.

She was going to get stronger. She was going to learn how to use the Sharingan without Danzo's meddling.

* * *

The next day, Jun wakes abruptly in cold sweat; eyes aching, muscles sore from her workout yesterday. Her skin is frigid to the touch, and she shivers despite being buried under two separate blankets. Jun squeezes her eyes further shut, willing the flashes of blood covered bodies and the smell of rotting flesh to fade back into her nightmare.

This is a common occurrence. The dreams are often too vivid, too horrifically real, especially after extensive usage of her sharingan. She is always left in some middle ground, where her fears bleed into the tangible world, and she isn't quite sure what's real and what isn't. Jun reaches for her bedstand, blindly reaching for anything that would help her differentiate between dream and reality. Her fingers slide across the blade of a kunai, and the sharp nick of pain grounds her.

( _My name is Jun Hiromi. I have died once, but I am still here. I am still real._ )

She lets out a shuddering breath, her frantic heartbeat slowing back to a normal rate. Jun runs her hand through her hair, taking deep breaths to offset the adrenaline in her system.

She lies there for what seems to be an eternity, before forcibly opening her eyes. But all Jun is greeted with is more darkness. Frowning, she brings her fingers up to her face, resting the tips against her eyelids. Her eyes are open, but everything is pitch black. What the fuck?

The implication sets in quickly, and soon afterwards, the panic. Jun blindly reaches for her blinds, fumbling around for the cord and yanking down hard. She hears the undeniable sound of her blinds flying up, but she is still surrounded by an unpierceable darkness.

"Oh shit," Jun whispers to herself, body trembling as she tangles her fingers into her sheets. "Shit shit shit-"

She stumbles out of bed, nearly tripping over her own shoes. Her room is now a dangerous field she has to navigate. Jun stumbles all the way to the bathroom, the thin flaking walls her only support. She reaches the sink, turns on the faucet, and splashes freezing water into her face. Her eyes now feel like they're on fire, and Jun frantically rubs at them, hoping to somehow fix whatever was going on.

Jun doesn't realize she's crying until the tears splash onto her arm.

She lets out a bitter laugh. Of course she'd be crying. Why not? She was selfish selfish _selfish_ and if her sight was gone she'd be worthless.

(And being worthless is the same as being dead.)

Jun grips the sides of the sink even tighter, digging her nails into the ceramic. She needed to calm down, rationalize. She had a pair of sunglasses tucked away in her cabinet. No one except for maybe Yasuhiro would question her wardrobe change. And if she could get to a root medic, she could at least get a diagnosis.

Danzo would know, but it wasn't as if she had any other choice. It wasn't as if she could go to the Konoha hospital and get a check up without the entire village knowing of her dojutsu. Her sight is the only reason Danzo cultivated her. Her sharingan is the only reason she hasn't been killed.

Jun would take the danger she knows over the danger of the Uchiha clan any day.

A sharp rap on the door startles Jun out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" Jun calls, turning off the faucet as she shakily makes her way to the door.

"Just checking on you dear," one of the mothers of the orphanage responds. "It's 6:50 already, don't you usually go meet that Yasuhiro boy at 7? It's not like you to oversleep."

"Just- getting a few things ready," Jun says as she hastily pulls on a sweater and faded jeans. Rummaging into her cabinet, she pulls out the sunglasses and puts them on. "Thanks for the wake up call."

"No problem."

Jun waits for the footsteps to recede back down the hall before opening the door. She touches one hand to the wall and breaks into a sprint. If she didn't want to be late, she'd have to rely on her speed. Jun still couldn't shunshin very well anyway, and she wasn't going to push it when she can't even see.

Out in the street, Jun quickly turns towards the busy market, letting her chakra spread out and prevent any collisions. There were surprisingly few people at this time of day, which was both a blessing and a curse. There were significantly less figures that Jun could accidentally bump into, but it was far harder for her to tell where she was going. The buildings and street vendors didn't give off any chakra (at least, not that she could tell), so Jun bounced from person to person as she jogged lightly through the streets.

She slows to a stop near the Hyuuga compound, zoning in on Yasuhiro's soothing chakra.

"Hey," Jun waves in greeting, falling in step besides him.

"... Jun?" Yasuhiro asks lightly, "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"It's too bright outside."

Yasuhiro makes an unconvinced sound. "... It's foggy right now."

"Oh," Jun curses herself internally. Where was Konoha's standard weather? The one day where it mattered, the scorching sun let her down. "Uh, yeah. I knew that. Saw Shisui yesterday. He recommended I should change up my fashion style for a bit." She hoped the mention of the Uchiha would stop the insistent questions, she really did.

"Jun," Yasuhiro sighs, stopping entirely. Jun knows she can't get away with it now. "Are your eyes _really_ okay?"

She scratches the back of her head, trying to spin a lie of the top of her head. It really shouldn't be her automatic reaction, to mislead her best friend. She hates herself a little more just for it.

"It's… not that bad? I just..." Jun sweats nervously. She can't even see Yasuhiro's expression, but she somehow feels guilty all the same. "Can't… see at the moment."

Jun regrets it immediately. She feels like she's bared her neck; announced to the entire village that she's a filthy liar. But suddenly, there's soft hands cradling her face and Jun has to force herself not to flinch back.

"Byakugan," Yasuhiro activates his dojutsu, chakra rushing to his eyes. "There's some sort of blockage in your tenketsu here..." A pause. Jun feels his fingers trace lightly over her eyelids. "... Jun, do you have a dojutsu?"

" _What_ ," Jun recoils, "How did- what-"

She clamps her mouth shut before she can make the whole situation worse. But of _course_. The byakugan could see chakra coils. There'd be no plausible reason for the coils around her eyes to be so developed other than the possibility of a dojutsu.

(God she's so dumb she's so dumb she's so dumb- how many times has she travelled to the Hyuuga compound? How many times has she possible risked her secret?)

"... I do." Jun whispers, feeling the shame color her face.

There's a silence, and Jun thinks that this is how their friendship ends. In the fog, where all of her lies and secrets come tumbling out one by one. She can feel the conflicted emotions tinting Yasuhiro's chakra, his breathing sharp from this revelation.

Jun jumps a little when she feels Yasuhiro grab her arm.

"Alright, let's go to the hospital," the older boy gently links arms with her and begins to lead her in a different direction. "We're skipping today. We need to figure out what's wrong."

"I- what?" Jun sputters, the reaction throwing her off kilter. She stumbles along, guided by Yasuhiro. "No 'Hiro please you can't-"

"I'm mad at you," Yasuhiro continues, his soft and quivering voice immediately shutting Jun up. "This is- Jun this is huge. And you didn't _trust_ me enough to tell me about it."

"I'm-" Jun chokes on her words; the desolate sinking feeling in her stomach twisting and strangling her windpipe. She deserves this, she really does. But she _can't_ let the Uchiha clan know she exists- she _can't_. "Shisui. Please. I need to talk to him."

"Okay," Yasuhiro relents easily, allowing the two fall back into silence.

Jun has never been more heartbroken to have silence wash over her.


End file.
